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Field  Columbian  Museum 
Publication  8. 
Anthropological  Series. 


ARCHEOLOGICAL    STUDIES 


AMONG   THE    ANCIENT 


CITIES    OF   MEXICO 


BY 


William    H.    Holmes, 

Curator,    Department  of  Anthropology. 


PART  I,   MONUMENTS    OF  YUCATAN. 


Chicago,  U.   S.  A. 

December,  1895. 


WITHDRAWN  FROM 
TEACHERS  COLLEGE    LIBRARY 


WE  6ET7Y  CEWTER 
LIBRARY 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEV 


ANTHROPOLOGY.    PL.    1 


The  Feathered-Serpent  Column  of  Chichen-Itza. 


Pl,  I.    The  Feathered-Serpent  Column  of  Chichen-Itza. 


Restoration  made  from  mutilated  examples. 

Two  of  these  columns  are  placed  in  each  principal  portal,  facing  outward. 
The  end  of  the  tongue  extends  forward  on  the  narrow  terrace  nearly  to  the  head 
of  the  stairway. 

a.  Base  (head  of  serpent)  resting  on  temple  floor. 

b.  Shaft  (body  of  serpent)  with  feather  decoration. 

c.  Capital  (tail  of    serpent)  with  atlantean  figures  in  relief  supporting  the 

lintel. 

d.  Tail  of  serpent,  broken  off  in  principal  examples,  but  probably  tipped, 

originally,  with  sculptured  rattles. 

e.  Three  lintel  timbers  cut  midway  in  their  length. 

/.     Three-membered  molding — archaic  cornice — about  midway  in  height  of 

building. 
g.     Soffit  or  incline  of  arch  of  vestibule. 
h.     Decorated  zone  of  entablature,  56  inches  wide  to  upper  moldings. 


ARCHEOLOGICAL   STUDIES 


AMONG  THE 


ANCIENT    CITIES    OF   MEXICO. 
By  William  H.    Holmes. 


PART   I. 


CONTENTS,  PART  I. 


Page 
Preface,  -..--....         ^ 

Itinerary,  .--.-.,.  g 

Introduction,  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  "        ij 

Ruins  of  Eastern  Yucatan,  ------  57 

Mugeres  Island,  .......        r^-j 

Island  of  Cancun,  --.-..  5^ 

Island  of  Cozumel,       -  -  -  -  -  -  -64 

El  Meco,  -----..  6g 

Tuloom,  -.-.  --.-7- 

Ruins  of  Middle  Northern  Yucatan,     -----  yg 

Mounds  at  Progreso,  -  -  -  -  -  -        79 

Uxmal,        -----...  gQ 

Izamal,  ----  ...^7 

Chichen-Itza,  ---....  loi 


ILLUSTRATIONS,  PART  I. 


Plate 


Opposite 
page 


I.  Feathered-serpent  column,  Chichen-Itza,        -            -            -  -         3 

II.  Hewn  stone  showing  tool  marks,  Chichen-Itza,    -            -            -  30 

III.  Rumed  temple,  south  end  of  Mugeres  Island,           -            -  -       62 

IV.  Portal  of  small  temple.  Island  of  Cozumel,          -            .            .  55 
V.  Portion  of  sculptured  facade.  Governor's  Palace,  Uxmal,    -  -        92 

VI.  Middle  portion  of  the  House  of  the  Pigeons,  Uxmal,     -            -  94 

VII.  Inscribed  column,  Uxmal,         -            -            -            -            -  -        96 

VIII.  Map  of  Uxmal,       - 96 

IX.  Panoramic  view  of  Uxmal,         -             -            -             -            -  -       96 

X.  East  fac^ade  and  Iglesia,  Palace,  Chichen-Itza,    -            -            -  112 

XL  A  characteristic  Maya  vaulted  chamber.  Palace,  Chichen-Itza,  114 

XII.  Graphic  Section  of  Round  Tower  or  Caracol,  Chichen-Itza,  -      118 

XIII.  View  of  Temple  of  Tigers  and  El  Castillo,  Chichen-Itza,          -  122 

XIV.  Main  portal  of  El  Castillo,  Chichen-Itza,         -            -             -  .      126 
XV.  Sculptured  sanctuary,  Temple  of  the  Tigers,  Gymnasium, 

Chichen-Itza,        -------  132 

XVI.  Square  columns.  Temple  of  the  Tables,  Chichen-Itza,          -  -     134 

XVII.  Sketch  map  of  Chichen-Itza,           -----  138 

XVIII.  Panoramic  view  of  Chichen-Itza,  .....     138 

5 


b  ILLUSTRATIONS,    PART    I CONTINUED. 

Fig.  Page 

1.  Examples  of  Yucatec  terraces  and  pyramids,        -            -  -  -       33 

2.  Specialization  of  ground  plan  of  Maya  temples,         .            .  .  155 

3.  Examples  of  Maya  buildings,           -            -            -            -  -  -       37 

4.  Cord  holders,        --------  ^8 

5.  Section  of  a  Yucatec  building,           -            -            -             -  -  -        41 

6.  Exterior  doorway  with  stone  lintel,       .            -            -             .  .  ^-j 

7.  Interior  doorway  with  wood  lintels,              -            -             -  -  -        43 

8.  Exterior  doorway  with  single  column  and  stone  lintels,          -  -  44 

9.  Exterior  doorway  with  two  columns  and  wood  lintels,       -  -  -        44 

10.  Examples  of  minor  wall  openings,        -----  45 

11.  Examples  of  Maya  arches,    -            -            -            -            -  -  -       51 

12.  Map  of  the  shore  and  islands  of  Northeastern  Yucatan,      -  -  56 

13.  South  end  of  Mugeres  Island,  showing  ruins,         -            -  -  -        58 

14.  Plan  of  small  structure,  south  end  of  Mugeres  Island,            -  -  59 

15.  Plan  of  temple,  south  end  of  Mugeres  Island,        -            -  -  ■       59 

16.  Section  of  temple,  south  end  of  J^lugeres  Island,         -            -  -  61 

17.  Plan  of  small  temple,  Island  of  Cozumel,                 -            -  -  -        65 

18.  Section  of  small  building  at  Cedral,  Island  of  Cozumel,          -  -  67 

19.  Archway  in  quadrangular  ruin  at  Cedral,  Island  of  Cozumel,  -  -       67 

20.  Pyramid-temple  at  El  Meco,  mainland  of  Yucatan,   -             -  -  71 

21.  Plan  of  temple  at  El  Meco,  mainland  of  Yucatan,              -  -  -       71 

22.  Section  of  summit-temple  at  El  Meco,  mainland  of  Yucatan,  -  72 

23.  Tuloom  from  the  sea,  mainland  of  Yucatan,           -             -  -  -        76 

24.  Panorama  of  Tuloom  and  the  shore  to  the  north,        .             .  .  77 

25.  Section  of  Temple  of  the  Magician,  Uxmal,          -            -  -  -        85 

26.  Section  of  Governor's  Palace,  Uxmal,                -             .             .  .  gj 

27.  Gigantic  stucco  head,  east  base  of  Pyramid,  Izamal,        -  -  -       99 

28.  Stucco  figure,  west  side  of  Pyramid,  Izamal,    -            -            -  -  gg 

29.  Southwest  corner  of  Palace,  Chichen-Itza,              -            .  .  .      jgj 

30.  Plan  of  Palace,  Chichen-Itza,-                 -             .             .             .  .  107 

31.  Section  of  Palace,  Chichen-Itza,       -            -            -            -  -  -      iii 

32.  Section  of  larger  annex,  Palace,  Chichen-Itza,               -            -  -  112 

33.  Section  of  the  Round  Tower  or  Caracol,  Chichen-Itza,     -  -  -      117 

34.  Plan  of  the  Round  Tower  or  Caracol,  Chichen-Itza,                  -  -  117 
55.  Section  of  El  Castillo  from  north  to  south,  Chichen  Itza,  -            -      123 

36.  Section  of  El  Castillo  from  east  to  west,  Chichen-Itza,             -  -  125 

37.  Plan  of  El  Castillo,  Chichen-Itza,                 -             .             -  .  .      125 

38.  Section  of  Temple  of  the  Tigers,  Gymnasium,  Chichen-Itza,  -  129 

39.  Plan  of  Temple  of  the  Tigers,  Gymnasium,  Chichen-Itza,  -  -       131 

40.  Sketch  of  fallen  column,  Temple  of  the  Tables,  Chichen-Itza,  -  134 

41.  Stone  table  supported  by  human  figures.  Temple  of  the  Tables, 

Chichen-Itza,  -.---..       j^^ 


PREFACE. 


In  December,  1894,  a  number  of  gentlemen,  representing  different 
branches  of  scientific  research,  were  invited  by  Mr.  A.  V.  Armour 
to  accompany  him  in  his  steam  yacht  Ituna  on  a  voyage  to  Mexico. 
Three  months  were  spent  in  that  most  interesting  country,  mainly  in 
the  states  of  Yucatan,  Chiapas  and  Oaxaca.  The  writer  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  party  and,  as  Curator  of  Anthropology  in  the  Field  Colum- 
bian Museum,  was  expected  to  examine  and  describe  such  archeologic 
remains  as  happened  to  be  encountered  during  the  journey.  The 
following  report,  issued  for  convenience  in  two  parts,  is  the  result. 
Besides  this  a  short  paper  treating  of  the  geology,  and  particularly  of 
the  cenotes  or  natural  wells  of  Yucatan,  will  appear  in  the  Journal  of 
Geology  of  the  University  of  Chicago. 

The  author  desires  to  express  in  this  place  his  many  obligations 
to  his  associates  on  the  voyage  for  generous  assistance,  and  especi- 
ally to  thank  Mr.  Armour  and  the  President  and  Director  of  the 
Museum  for  the  opportunity  afforded  of  visiting  this  most  important 
field  of  research. 

The  present  paper  is  the  first  number  of  the  Anthropological 
Series  of  the  Museum  Publications.  It  will  be  followed  by  a  second 
number  continuing  the  same  subject  and  by  a  third  treating  of  the 
Ceramic  Art  of  Mexico.  These,  with  possibly  some  additional  matter 
relating  to  the  same  general  region,  will,  it  is  expected,  constitute 
the  larger  part,  if  not  all,  of  the  first  volume  of  the  series. 


ITINERARY. 


VOYAGE  OF  THE  YACHT  ITUNA. 


The  yacht  Ituna  sailed  from  New  York,  December  i6th,  1894, 
bound  for  Havana  and  the  Atlantic  ports  of  Mexico.  She  was  in 
charge  of  her  owner,  Mr.  Allison  V.  Armour,  who  had  with  him  as  a 
guest  Mr.  Norman  Williams  of  Chicago.  At  Jacksonville,  Florida, 
the  party  was  augmented  by  the  arrival  of  Professor  Allan  Marquand 
of  Princeton,  Dr.  Charles  F.  Millspaugh,  Curator  of  Botany  in  the 
Field  Columbian  Museum,  and  Mr.  William  H.  Holmes,  Curator  of 
Anthropology  in  the  same  institution.  Christmas  was  spent  in 
Havana,  and  on  the  30th  of  December  the  yacht  was  anchored  off 
the  port  of  Progreso,  Yucatan.  At  this  place  Mr.  Edward  H.  Thomp- 
son, ex-U.  S.  Consul  at  Merida,  and  a  well-known  student  of  archeol- 
ogy, joined  the  party.  With  this  port  as  a  basis  of  operations,  visits 
were  made  to  numerous  localities  on  the  peninsula  of  Yucatan  and  in 
Mexico  proper,  three  months  of  the  winter  season  being  devoted  to 
the  study  of  the  Botany,  Geology,  Anthropology  and  Natural  History 
of  these  most  interesting   regions. 

The  first  voyage  was  toward  the  east,  and  visits  were  made  to 
the  islands  of  Contoy,  Mugeres,  Cancun  and  Cozumel  and  to  the  main- 
land of  Yucatan,  opposite  these  islands.  This  part  of  Yucatan  has 
rarely  been  visited  either  by  travelers  or  by  students  of  the  history 
and  resources  of  the  country.  Both  the  islands  and  the  mainland 
appear  to  be  covered  with  dense  forests,  save  for  occasional  low 
limestone  bluffs  and  strips  of  sand  along  the  beaches,  and  present  a 
most  monotonous  appearance;  but  the  region  is  rendered  extremely 
interesting  by  its  archeological  remains,  encountered  at  every  turn, 
its  peculiar  geological  formations,  its  almost  unstudied  botany  and  the 
marvelous  transparency  and  iridescent  beauty  of  its  island-enclosed 
waters.  Nearl}^  two  weeks  were  spent  in  cruising  about  from  place 
to  place,  the  Indian  villages  of  Dolores,  on  Mugeres  Island,  and  San 
Miguel,  on  Cozumel,  being  made  the  basis  of  operations.  Before 
leaving  these  waters  a  run  was  made  down  the  coast  to  secure  a 
glimpse  of  the  great  ruin  of  Tuloom,  now  occupied  by  hostile 
Indians    as  an  outpost.      We  were  not  permitted  to  land  by  our  guest 

9 


lo  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

and  adviser,  Don  Jose  Dolores  Perez  of  San  Miguel,  and  contented 
ourselves  with  a  distant  survey  of  the  imposing  walls  of  the  principal 
ruin,  which  resembles  a  fortress  crowning  the  high  bluff  facing  the  sea. 

Returning  to  Progreso  on  the  12th  of  January,  preparations  were 
made  for  a  month's  excursion  into  the  interior  of  Yucatan.  From 
Merida  visits  were  made  to  Tikul,  Uxmal,  Izamal  and  Chichen-Itza. 
The  visit  to  Uxmal  was  all  too  brief  for  the  examination  of  its  splen- 
did remains,  but  the  spot  is  so  fever-stricken  even  in  winter  that  our 
most  experienced  advisers  declared  the  risk  too  great  to  spend  even  a 
single  night  there.  At  Izamal  several  massive  ruins,  mostly  pyra- 
midal bases  of  ancient  temples,  rise  in  the  midst  of  the  modern 
town,  breaking  up  its  monotony  and  affording  excellent  foundations 
for  its  dwellings  and  churches.  Here  the  party  received  most  ac- 
ceptable hospitality  at  the  hands  of  Dr.  George  F.  Gaumer,  an  Amer- 
ican resident  of  the  village.  In  Chichen-Itza,  the  most  important 
group  of  ruins  in  Yucatan,  a  week  was  spent  and  careful  studies  were 
made,  ample  facilities  being  furnished  by  our  associate,  Mr.  E.  H. 
Thompson,  proprietor  of  the  fine  hacienda  on  which  the  ruined  city 
stands.  On  returning  to  Merida  w^e  were  compelled  to  say  farewell 
to  Professor  Marquand,  w-ho  had  to  return  to  his  duties  at  Princeton, 
and  to  Dr.  Millspaugh,  who  was  so  disabled  from  an  accident  that  he 
found  it  necessary  to  give  up  further  field  work.  Mr.  Williams  had 
returned  to  the  north  from  Havana. 

Sailing  again  from  Progreso  on  January  27th,  the  yacht  w- as  next 
anchored  in  the  port  of  Laguna  or  Carmen,  in  the  State  of  Campeche 
on  the  southern  margin  of  the  Gulf.  Desiring  to  visit  the  famous 
ruined  city  of  Palenque,  situated  sixt}'  miles  to  the  south  in  the  State 
of  Chiapas,  we  took  a  steamer  that  plies  between  Laguna  and  the 
middle  Usumacinta  river,  and  carrying  along  W'ith  us  the  Ituna's  gas- 
oline launch  we  arrived  the  next  da}^  at  the  entrance  to  the  Rio  Chi- 
quito.  Here  the  launch  was  brought  into  use,  and  passing  down  the 
latter  stream  and  into  the  narrow  canal-like  branch  called  Catasaha 
we  reached  at  night-fall  the  head  of  launch  navigation.  This  day's 
journey  was  rendered  memorable  by  the  occurrence  of  several  novel 
incidents.  Animal  life  is  exceedingl}-  abundant  in  and  along  all  of 
these  winding  streams,  and  increases  as  the  sources  are  approached. 
Turtles,  alligators,  lizards,  fish  and  birds  were  constantly  in  view. 
Vast  numbers  of  cranes,  herons,  flamingos,  cormorants,  kingfishers, 
hawks  and  the  like  were  assembled  to  prey  upon  the  fish,  which  are 
very  plentiful  and  so  bold  as  to  be  troublesome  to  travelers  by  water. 
One  variety  of  fish  of  large  size,  weighing  in  some  cases  as  much  as 
fifteen  or  twenty  pounds,  and  called  by  the  natives  the  "  Sabalo,'  was 
addicted  to  jumping,  and  in  the  evening  the  water  fairly  boiled  with 


Dec.    1895.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico— Holmes.  ii 

them.  Their  spring  was  so  powerful  and  at  such  eccentric  angles 
that  it  was  dangerous  to  remain  near  the  sides  of  the  boat.  Members 
of  the  party  were  struck  with  such  great  force  that  we  were  glad  of 
the  opportunity  to  tie  up  for  the  night  before  a  group  of  squalid 
Indian  huts.  Taking  a  dugout  canoe  from  this  point,  the  Catasaha 
lagoon  was  entered  in  the  early  morning,  and  a  landing  was  made  on 
the  muddy  margin  of  the  south  shore.  From  this  point  the  village 
of  Las  Playas  was  reached  by  a  walk  of  three  miles  over  green  meadows 
which,  during  the  wet  season,  are  covered  by  the  shallow  waters  of  the 
lagoon.  At  this  pleasantly  situated  village  we  were  hospitably  enter- 
tained by  the  leading  citizen  of  the  place,  Don  Carlos  Diaz,  who 
kindly  secured  the  men  and  animals  necessary  for  continuing  our  trip 
to  the  base  of  the  mountains. 

Following  neglected  roadways  and  obscure  trails  through  dense 
tropical  forests,  and  over  a  meadow  region  of  great  beauty  from 
which  the  blue  mountain  ridge  of  Tumbala  was  always  in  view,  a  ride 
of  thirty-five  miles  brought  us  to  the  romantic  village  of  Santo 
Domingo  del  Palenque.  On  the  following  day  a  ride  of  eight  miles 
to  the  southwest,  through  dense  and  magnificent  forests  and  across 
low  foot  hills  and  fresh  mountain  streams,  brought  us  to  the  base  of 
the  mountain  slopes.  Here  we  began  at  once  to  encounter  ruined 
walls,  roadways,  bridges  and  temples,  and  after  a  rough,  precipitous 
climb  of  half  a  mile  up  the  side  of  the  unique  cascades  of  the  Otoluni 
we  reached  the  great  ruin  called  the  Palace.  In  this  place  we  encamped 
four  days,  making  such  examinations  of  the  numerous  remarkable 
ruins  as  the  time  would  permit.  On  the  8th  of  February  rain  set  in, 
and  our  ride  back  to  the  village  was  through  one  of  the  heaviest 
down-pours  encountered  in  many  years  of  travel. 

Reaching  the  village  of  Catasaha  it  was  found  that  the  heavy 
rains  had  flooded  the  meadows  and  it  was  with  much  difficulty  and  b}' 
wading  the  deeper  channels  that  we  reached  the  border  of  the  lagoon 
proper.  Here  our  friend  Don  Carlos  had  provided  a  canoe,  and  by 
dark  we  were  in  our  launch  and  threading  our  way  down  the  crooked 
branches  to  the  Usumacinta.  With  Mr.  Armour  at  the  helm  we  sailed 
all  night,  encountering  numerous  adventures  both  trying  and  amus- 
ing, and  at  daybreak  reached  the  village  of  Palisada.  Taking  a  cup 
of  chocolate  in  the  market  place  we  were  again  on  the  way  at  sunrise, 
and  passing  down  the  Usumacinta  and  Palisada  rivers  and  through 
the  lagoon,  we  arrived  safely  on  board  the  Ituna  at  Carmen,  at  five 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  As  a  storm  was  raging  on  the  Gulf  outside, 
it  was  decided  to  remain  in  port  until  it  subsided,  and  during  the  stay 
of  three  days  our  party  was  most  hospitably  entertained  by  the 
American    Vice-Consul,    Mr.     Herman     Hahn.       Receiving    advices 


12  Field  Columbian   Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

from  the  officers  of  the  port  that  the  storm  was  over  and  the 
passage  of  the  bar  possible,  the  Ituna  sailed  out  over  a  charming  sea, 
to  encounter  before  midnight  one  of  the  severest  "  Northers  "  on  rec- 
ord. It  was  the  southern  extension  of  the  storm  that  gave  New 
Orleans  ten  inches  of  snow.  We  were  bound  for  Coatzacoalcos,  the 
northern  terminus  of  the  Tehuantepec  railway,  a  sail  of  about  twelve 
hours  from  Carmen,  but  the  little  ship  was  tossed  about  for  three  days 
in  a  heavy  sea,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time,  finding  it  impossible  to 
enter  the  port  on  account  of  the  heavy  breakers  across  the  bar,  we 
steamed  away  for  Vera  Cruz.  We  approached  that  city  in  the  early 
morning,  witnessing  the  sun-rise  glow  on  the  great  snow-capped  cone 
of  Orizaba.  The  pleasure  afforded  by  this  episode  was  rendered  keen 
by  its  sharp  contrast  with  the  somber  experiences  of  the  voyage. 
The  failure  to  get  into  the  harbor  of  Coatzacoalcos  was  greatly 
regretted,  as  much  pleasure  and  profit  weore  anticipated  from  the  pro- 
posed trip  by  the  newly  finished  transcontinental  railway  to  Tehuan- 
tepec, on  the  Pacific  coast. 

From  Vera  Cruz  the  party,  consisting  of  ^Ir.  Armour,  Mr. 
Thompson  and  the  writer,  set  out  b}-  way  of  Puebla  to  Oaxaca.  On 
February  21st  we  passed  through  the  two  wonderful  caiions  threaded  by 
the  Mexican  Southern  Railway,  observing  the  remarkable  exposures 
of  geological  formations  everywhere  so  complete  that  the  geologic 
history  of  the  region  could  be  read  as  from  an  open  book.  At  sunset 
the  continental  divide  was  reached,  and  a  descent  of  two  hours  into 
the  Oaxacan  valley  brought  us  to  the  metropolis  of  southern  Mexico. 
The  city  of  Oaxaca  is  unique  and  exceedingly  interesting,  the  result 
of  its  exceptional  isolation  from  the  outer  world  previous  to  the  com- 
pletion of  the  railway  two  years  ago.  It  is  laid  out  in  the  midst  of  a 
broad,  smooth,  fertile  valley,  bordered  and  apparentl)'  completely 
surrounded  by  magnificent  mountain  ranges.  Seen  from  the  neigh- 
boring heights,  with  its  out-lying  villages  set  in  fringes  of  green,  bor- 
dered by  far-reaching  russet  slopes  which  grade  imperceptibly  upward 
into  blue  mountains,  it  presents  a  sight  never  to  be  forgotten. 

From  Oaxaca  two  of  the  most  noted  ruin-groups  of  Alexico  were 
reached.  By  stage  twenty-nine  miles  to  the  southeast  on  the  Tehuan- 
tepec highway  we  reached  Mitla,  a  marvelous  city  now  built  over 
by  a  modern  Indian  village,  and,  with  the  exception  of  a  half-dozen  of 
its  greatest  temples,  practically  destroyed.  Here  a  week  was  spent  with 
exceptional  profit,  and  a  visit  was  made  also  to  the  ancient  quarries  on 
the  mountain  side  and  to  a  fortified  hill  near  b3^  On  the  return  to 
Oaxaca  the  writer  visited  IMonte  Alban,a  few  miles  west  of  the  city.  It  is 
a  mountain  ridge  a  thousand  or  more  feet  high,  one  mile  long  and  less 
than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide,  which  has  been  remodeled  by  the  hand 


Dec.    1895.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  13 

of  man  into  terraces,  plateaus  and  pyramids.  As  it  stands  today  it  is 
in  its  outlines  an  artificial  mountain  and  an  astounding  monument  to 
the  energy  and  culture  of  the  ancient  races.  At  both  Oaxaca  and 
Mitla  interesting  collections  were  made  of  the  art  productions  of  the 
native  people  who  still  practice,  with  little  modification,  a  number  of 
their  aboriginal  arts. 

From  Oaxaca  the  party  returned  to  the  north,  visiting  Puebla 
and  the  City  of  Mexico.  At  the  latter  place  examinations  were  made 
of  the  slight  remaining  traces  of  the  ancient  Tenochtitlan,  consisting  of 
a  body  of  refuse  over  twenty  feet  in  depth  exposed  in  the  excavations 
from  which  adobe  is  obtained  for  brick-making  in  the  suburbs  of  the 
modern  city.  Later  on  an  excursion  was  made  to  San  Juan  Teoti- 
huacan,  twenty-five  miles  north  of  Mexico,  which  is  probably  the  great- 
est monument  of  ancient  American  enterprise  and  culture  in  existence. 
March  7th,  the  party,  augmented  in  Mexico  by  the  addition  of  Mr. 
Samuel  C.  Peck  and  his  brother  and  Mr.  Marshall  Miller,  returned  to 
Vera  Cruz  and  sailed  first  to  Progreso  to  leave  Mr.  Thompson,  who 
resides  in  Merida,  and  then  crossed  to  New  Orleans,  where  the  writer 
left  the  party  and  returned  to  Chicago  with  such  collections  as  had 
been  made.  Mr.  Armour  after  a  few  days  continued  the  journey  by 
way  of  Havana,  Nassau  and  Charleston  to  New  York. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  present  paper  does  not  assume  to  be  more  than  a  sketch  of 
limited  portions  of  a  great  subject.  It  aims  only  to  present  the  vari- 
ous ruined  cities  and  archeologic  sites  visited  as  seen  at  a  passing 
glance — a  glance  by  far  too  brief  for  complete  or  satisfactory  obser- 
vation, but  which,  nevertheless,  has  given  vivid  and  valuable  im- 
pressions. The  studies  which  shall  cover  this  ground  adequately  and 
finally  are  yet  to  be  made.  Years  of  patient  study,  excavation,  com- 
parison and  literary  research  are  necessary  to  the  elucidation  of  each 
great  site.  Many  years  must  pass  before  exhaustive  exploration  is 
even  attempted  in  more  than  a  very  few  cases,  for  the  Mexican 
government  does  not  encourage  its  own  people  in  this  work  and  is 
loth  to  entrust  it  to  others.*  Owing  to  these  conditions  I  regard  it 
as  the  duty  of  those  favored  with  even  a  glimpse  of  the  crumbling  re- 
mains to  publish  what  they  observe,  though  it  be  at  the  risk  of  some 
repetition.  In  this  way  the  sum  of  information  is  augmented  by 
small  increments,  and  in  time  a  large  body  of  congruous  data  will  be 
acquired,  serving  in  a  way  the  purposes  that  would  be  better  sub- 
served by  systematic  research.  Most  of  the  ruins  examined  on  this 
voyage  of  exploration  have  been  visited  before,  and  some  have  been 
studied  with  considerable  care  by  such  students  as  Stephens,  Char- 
nay,  Le  Plongeon,  Maudslay  and  Bandelier,  as  well  as  various  early 
explorers,  but  the  examinations  in  no  case  approach  completeness, 
and  even  the  surface  phenomena  are  as  yet  but  half  explored.  No 
attempt  will  be  made  here  to  review  the  literature  of  the  subject 
as  it  is  quite  extensive,  besides  this  very  important  work  has  been 
pretty  thoroughly  done  by  several  writers  and  especially  by  Bancroft, 
who  has  compiled  an  extensive  and  valuable  bibliography. 

Panoramic  Views,  Etc.  T  had  designed  something  consider- 
ably more  ambitious  in  the  way  of  panoramic  views  than  it  has  been 
possible  to  present.  Being  unable  to  secure  a  skilled  draughtsman, 
I  was  compelled  to  do  the  drawing  myself,  and  haste  and  lack  of  skill 
in  architectural   work  have  left  me  with  the  merest  sketches;  these 

*  I  do  not  mean  by  this  observation  to  imply  a  criticism  of  the  manner  in  which  the  Mexican 
government  has  treated  this  subject.  It  has  probably  done  all  it  could  in  appoiiiting  custodians  of 
important  ruins  and  by  forbidding  the  removal  of  relics  from  the  country.  Though  our  own  govern- 
ment has  expended  money  freely  in  the  study  ot  its  primitive  peoples  and  art,  it  has  done  less  than 
Mexico  in  caring  for  its  monumental  remains  and  in  preventing  the  removal  of  minor  works  of  art 
to  trans-Atlantic  museums. 

15 


i6  Field  Columeiax  Museum — Anthropologv,  Vol.  i. 

will,  however,  serve  a  good  purpose  in  connection  with  the  brief 
descriptions  given  in  the  text,  as  the  reader  will  be  able  at  once  to 
locate  each  ruin  and  to  comprehend  its  relations  with  the  whole  group. 
For  detailed  study  it  will  be  necessary  to  resort  to  photographs  and 
to  previously  published  illustrations.  Owing  to  the  rapidity  with 
which  the  reconnaisance  was  made,  many  parts  of  the  views  are  left 
somewhat  indefinite,  and  occasionally  parts  are  introduced  from 
descriptions  of  others.  A  satisfactory  panoramic  view  cannot  be  given 
until  the  artist  has  had  the  opportunity  of  examining  all  the  monu- 
ments, great  and  small,  in  the  minutest  detail,  thus  making  himself 
independent  of  mere  isolated  and  much  obscured  views.  The  most 
careful  drawing,  representing  merely  what  appears  above  the  foliage 
and  debris,  would  be  of  little  avail.  I  have,  therefore,  in  the  case  of 
the  Yucatec  cities,  undertaken  to  represent  the  subjects  as  they  would 
appear  with  the  forests  in  a  great  measure  removed.  The  cities  are 
set  in  the  midst  of  the  great  plain  pretty  much  as  if  afire  had  recently 
swept  the  country  leaving  the  various  buildings  exposed.  In  many 
cases,  also,  where  accumulations  of  debris  obscure  easih'  determined 
outlines  and  forms,  I  have  ignored  them,  as,  for  example,  around  the 
base  of  the  turret  and  the  terraces  of  the  Caracol  in  Chichen.  On 
the  whole,  though  imperfect  in  many  respects,  the  views  may  be  said 
to  represent  the  ruins  pretty  nearly  as  they  are  to-day,  though  not 
exactly  as  they  appear.  Maps  are  in  all  cases  placed  in  conjunction 
with  the  panoramas,  so  that  it  is  only  necessary  to  glance  from  one  to 
the  other  to  discover  relative  positions  and  dimensions,  and  to  locate 
such  descriptions  and  detailed  studies  as  may  be  at  hand.  The  maps 
are  compiled  from  all  available  sources  and  make  little  pretensions  to 
absolute  accuracy.  Where  old  maps  were  used  I  have  corrected  and 
added  quite  freely  from  my  own  observations.  Though  no  S3stematic 
survey  was  made  in  any  case,  the  compass  and  tape-line  were  con- 
stantly in  use,  and  the  maps  of  Palenque  and  Mitla,  (Part  II),  are 
constructed  wholly  from  my  own  notes.  The  maps  and  all  other 
illustrations,  save  the  photographs,  were  drawn  by  myself,  and,  I 
regret  to  saj-,  exhibit  man}'  evidences  of  haste  and  lack  of  skill. 
Although  there  are  at  hand  an  unlimited  number  of  photographs  and 
sketches,  I  have  inserted  only  such  as  seemed  the  most  essential  illus- 
trations of  what  I  have  to  say,  and  the  future  writer  of  monographic 
studies  will  still  have  an  endless  variety  of  unpublished  subjects  to 
draw  upon. 

The  measurements  of  ruins  and  architectural  features  given 
are  far  from  satisfactory.  I  found  the  measurements  of  those  who 
had  preceded  me  far  from  reliable,  and  I  reached  the  conclusion 
that  hurried  and  unverified  observations  must  necessarily  be  wrong  in 


Dec.    1895.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  17 

a  large  percentage  of  cases.  My  own  figures  as  well  as  those  of 
others  are,  therefore,  as  a  rule,  given  as  approximations  only.  A 
chief  reason  for  the  discrepancies  in  published  measurements  every- 
where apparent  is  found  in  the  fact  that  there  is  no  exactness  or  uni- 
formity in  the  datum  points  chosen.  The  bases  of  ruins  are  covered 
with  debris  and  the  tops  have  disappeared;  horizontal  measure- 
ments, even  where  margins  are  preserved,  are  affected  by  the  fact  that 
the  parts  of  the  wall  or  surface  selected  by  two  observers  are  not 
the  same.  A  tape  line  carried  around  the  base  of  a  building  may  give 
a  very  different  result  from  an  equally  careful  measurement  made  a 
few  feet  higher  on  the  wall.  It  may  be  said,  however,  that  for  all 
ordinary  purposes  of  description  and  analysis,  exactness,  though 
desirable,  is  not  absolutely  essential,  as  nothing  of  importance 
depends  upon  inches. 

The  cities  and  sites  visited  by  our  party  are  scattered  over  a  wide 
territory  extending  from  Cape  Catoche  on  the  east  to  the  Valley  of 
Mexico  on  the  west,  and  to  Chiapas  and  Oaxaca  on  the  south.  They 
represent,  if  the  historian  and  archeologist  have  properly  correlated 
the  data  of  their  respective  departments,  at  least  three  principal  and 
distinct  stocks  of  people — the  Mayas,  in  the  states  of  Yucatan  and 
Chiapas,  the  Nahuas,  in  the  Valley  of  Mexico,  and  the  Zapotecas,  in 
the  State  of  Oaxaca.  Part  I  of  this  paper  deals  almost  exclusively 
with  the  Yucatec  division  of  the  first  of  these  groups.  A  very  brief 
review  of  the  history  of  the  province,  its  people  and  art  will  be  useful 
in  connection  with  this  sketch  of  the  ancient  remains,  as  it  will,  I 
hope,  enable  readers  not  familiar  with  the  general  subject  to  secure  a 
connected  view  of  the  whole  field. 

Yucatan  rises  from  the  sea  and  is  peopled.  We  are  told 
by  the  early  Greek  historians  that  a  broad  continent,  known  as  At- 
lantis, once  spread  out  over  what  is  now  the  middle  Atlantic  Ocean; 
that  this  land  was  inhabited  by  a  vigorous  and  cultured  race  of 
people  who  carried  their  arms  eastward  to  the  farthest  limits  of  the 
Mediterranean,  and  that  the  Greek  gods,  righteously  angered  b}'  these 
encroachments,  retaliated  by  sending  Atlantis  to  the  bottom  of  the 
sea.  It  has  been  a  favorite  theor}'  with  many  students  that  the 
American  races  may  have  been  derived  from  this  source,  inheriting 
therefrom  the  germs  of  that  strange  culture  now  represented  by  so 
many  ruined  cities.  Whatever  may  be  the  truth  with  respect  to  the 
disappearance  of  the  one  continent  it  is  a  curious  fact  that  another 
land  has  risen  from  its  watery  bed.  We  are  able  to  clearly  show  by 
the  aid  of  geology  that  a  large  part  of  the  great  block  of  terra  firma 
now  known  as  Yucatan  is  a  new-born  realm.  The  massive  beds  of 
limestone  of  which  the  peninsula  is  formed  contain  and  are  largely 


iS  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

made  up  of  remains  of  the  marine  forms  of  life  now  flourishing  along 
the  shores.  Fossil  shells  obtained  from  the  rocks  in  various  parts  of 
the  country  are  all  of  living  species  and  represent  late  Pliocene  or  early 
Pleistocene  times,  thus  possibly  bringing  the  date  of  the  elevation  of 
Yucatan  down  somewhat  near  that  of  the  reputed  sinking  of  Atlantis, 
some  eleven  or  twelve  thousand  years  ago,  or  not  far  from  the  period 
that  witnessed  the  oscillations  attending  the  close  of  the  glacial  period. 

Whatsoever  the  period  of  these  events,  it  is  observed  that  the 
elevation  of  the  level  bed  of  the  sea  resulted  in  the  formation  of  a 
strangely  featured  land,  and  that  its  peculiar  topographic  and  geologic 
conditions  have  left  their  mark  on  the  people  and  their  art.  The 
strata  of  soft,  porous  limestones  were  more  or  less  broken  up  by  the 
strong  throes  of  upheaval  and  acted  like  a  sieve  for  the  surface  waters 
which,  charged  with  vegetable  acids,  dissolved  for  themselves  sub- 
terranean channels  leading  hither  and  thither  into  the  sea.  As  a  con- 
sequence we  rarely  find  a  spring  or  stream  of  running  water  oa  the 
surface  of  the  land  in  central  or  northern  Yucatan.  Though  soil  has 
gradually  formed  on  the  rocky  plains,  and  dense  forests  have  over- 
spread all,  there  is  ever}'where  present,  especially  in  the  dry  season, 
the  suggestion  of  a  waterless  and  forbidding  desert. 

But  a  strange  thing  has  happened  to  fit  this  land  for  habitation. 
As  time  passed  by  the  roofs  of  the  underground  streams  were  per- 
forated in  places  by  the  processes  of  disintegration  and  caving  in, 
and  yawning  sinks  were  formed,  in  the  bottoms  of  which  could  be 
seen  pools  of  darkling  water.  In  the  midst  of  the  forest  the  traveler 
comes  suddenly  upon  these  great  cistern-like  pits  leading  down  into 
the  bow'els  of  the  earth.  Many  are  irregular  in  outline  and  section, 
taking  the  character  of  caverns,  but  others  are  so  round  and  even- 
walled  as  to  be  taken  for  works  of  art.  They  are  often  a  hundred  or 
more  feet  in  depth  and  as  much  as  200  or  300  feet  in  diameter,  and  in 
some  cases  the  water  cannot  be  reached  save  by  ropes  or  ladders, 
while  in  others  portions  of  the  walls  have  fallen  in,  giving  steep  path- 
ways down  to  the  water's  edge.  From  these  unique  reservoirs  the 
water  supply  of  the  ancient  nations  was  almost  exclusively  obtained. 

Into  this  strange  new  land,  some  thousand  or  more  years  ago, 
pioneers  of  the  red  race  gradually  found  their  way,  and,  taking  posses- 
sion of  the  great  wells,  built  themselves  habitations.  The  brittle  lime- 
stone strata  of  the  surface  were  broken  into  millions  of  blocks  by 
weathering  and  the  strong  roots  of  the  forest  trees,  furnishing  natural 
quarries,  and  the  dwellers  about  the  lonely  wells  built  themselves 
houses  of  stone.  They  prospered  and  multiplied,  and  being  isolated 
and  largely  free  from  intrusions  from  without  went  on  from  centur\'  to 
century  building  and  developing  the  stone-shaping  arts,  until  each  and 


Dec.  1895.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  19 

every  great  well  or  group  of  wells  was  encircled  with  temples  and 
palaces  grand  in  proportions  and  rich  in  unique  though  barbarous 
sculptures.  Mystic  wise  men — culture  heroes — appeared  to  instruct 
the  people  in  the  arts  and  in  religion.  Comparative  peace  prevailed 
for  a  long  period  and  the  various  communities  seemed  welded  to- 
gether in  a  strong  and  lasting  union.  But  the  rapid  development  of 
many  centres  of  culture  and  power  seem  to  have  led  to  jealousies  and 
feuds  and  we  learn  from  native  sources  that  only  a  few  decades  be- 
fore the  coming  of  Columbus  disastrous  wars  ensued,  depopulating 
many  districts  and  leaving  the  cities  in  ruins.  The  strong  culture 
impetus  was  thus  weakened  and  the  contentions  of  numerous  chief- 
tains pitted  against  one  another  dissipated  the  elements  of  national 
strength.  When,  however,  the  Spaniard  appeared  on  the  coast,  sub- 
stantial union  was  effected  and  a  bold  defense  was  made,  and  there  is 
little  doubt  that  but  for  the  gun  and  horse  Spain  could  not  in  cen- 
turies have  secured  a  permanent  lodgment  in  the  country. 

The  conditions  under  which  the  middle  and  southern  branches 
of  the  family  developed  were  different  in  many  respects  from  those  of 
the  north,  and  as  a  result  there  were  marked  distinctions  in  the  people 
and  their  culture;  but  when  the  disasters  that  signalized  the  close  of 
Maya  power  came,  all  were  alike  involved,  all  losing  in  the  main  their 
status  as  nations  and  nearly  all  submitting  to  the  yoke  of  the  Christian 
priesthood. 

The  Maya  Race.  At  the  period  of  conquest  the  Maya  tribes, 
occupying  the  peninsula  of  Yucatan  and  considerable  portions  of 
neighboring  territory  to  the  south  and  west,  are  said  to  have  comprised 
in  the  neighborhood  of  2,000,000  souls.  Today  they  are  distributed 
over  nearly  the  same  area,  but  are  reduced  in  numbers,  it  is  estimated, 
to  less  than  500,000,  half  at  least  of  whom  continue  to  speak  the 
Maya  tongue  in  its  purity.  At  the  north  where  there  has  been  much 
infusion  of  Spanish  blood  the  race  has  been  largely  modified  and  an 
interesting  and  very  homogeneous  half-blood  people  has  sprung  up; 
but  in  the  interior  many  of  the  tribes  are  of  nearly  pure  blood  and  re- 
tain a  strong  spirit  of  independence.  It  is  said  that  some  bands  have 
never  been  fully  conquered  and  they  practically  substantiate  the 
claim  by  holding  the  temples  of  their  fathers  by  force  of  arms,  defying 
all  comers,  whether  white  or  red. 

Physically  the  Mayas  are  short,  sturdy  and  dark,  possessing  gen- 
erally the  t3^pical  characteristics  of  the  red  race.  Their  mental  equip- 
ment is  conceded  to  be  of  a  high  order  as  compared  with  other  native 
stocks.  Their  origin  is  largely  a  matter  of  conjecture.  One  account* 
connects  them  with  the  history  of  the  god  and  culture-hero  Itzamna, 

*  Brinton,  D.  G.,  American  Hero  Myths,  P.  145. 


20  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

and  derives  an  important  element  or  division  of  the  race  from  the 
east,  where  they  are  said  to  have  come  across — or  rather  through — 
the  ocean,  thus  forcibly  recalling  the  stor}'  of  Atlantis.  The  more 
probable  derivation  is,  however,  from  the  west,  as  tradition,  m3th, 
art  and  geographical  conditions  point  in  this  direction  more  decidedly 
than  in  any  other.  It  appears  that  there  are  few  ties  of  language  with 
the  Aztecs  or  other  ^lexican  peoples  though  there  are  numerous 
and  striking  analogies  in  arts  and  customs, and  it  is  not  improbable  that 
in  the  course  of  their  history  the  IMayas  have  come  into  close  contact 
with  the  great  tribes  of  the  Plateau  of  Mexico.  Indeed,  all  may  have  had 
a  common  origin  to  the  north  in  Mexico,  or  even  beyond  the  Rio  Grande. 

In  the  culture  scale  this  people  stood  at  the  head  of  the  American 
tribes.  They  were  still,  properly  speaking,  barbarians,  but  in  several 
respects  seemed  to  be  on  the  very  threshold  of  civilization.  Their 
status  may  be  compared  to  that  of  the  Greeks  and  Egyptians  immed- 
iately preceding  the  dawn  of  history,  and  we  may  assume  that  they 
were,  as  measured  by  Ar3'an  rates  of  progress,  perhaps  not  more  than 
a  few  thousand  years  behind  the  foremost  nations  of  the  world  in  the 
great  procession  of  races  from  savagery  toward  enlightenment.  It  is 
certain  that  they  were  already  employing  a  rude  sj'stem  of  historic  rec- 
ords and  were  the  only  nation  on  the  western  continent  that  had  made 
any  considerable  headway  in  the  development  of  a  phonetic  system  of 
writing.  Their  hieroglyphics  occupy  a  place,  not  yet  well  defined, 
somewhere  along  the  course  of  progress  from  pictograph  to  letter,  and 
are  consequently  difficult  of  interpretation.  There  is  no  doubt,  how- 
ever, that  an  age  of  literature  was  actually  though  slowly  dawning 
in  America  when  the  shock  of  conquest  came. 

It  becomes  clearly  apparent  to  the  student  that  ethnic  conditions 
were  more  simple  in  Yucatan  than  in  the  great  southern  and  western 
centres  of  culture.  There  was  but  one  race;  the  land  was  not  a  thor- 
oughfare for  races,  and  the  physical  conditions  were  unique  in  their 
uniformity.  We  find  here  greater  homogeneity  in  the  monumental 
remains  and,  indeed,  in  all  branches  of  art.  There  is,  further,  a  strong 
probability  that  the  permanent  settlement  of  the  country,  or  at  least 
the  introduction  of  higher  phases  of  culture,  took  place  at  a  compara- 
tively recent  date. 

Today  the  chief  reminder  of  the  great  past  of  the  Mayas  is  the 
crumbling  remains  of  their  architecture,  but  remarkable  advance  had 
been  made  in  several  other  arts  not  embodied  in  such  durable  materials. 
They  made  paper  of  maguey,  and  their  books,  several  of  which  have 
been  preserved  and  are  now  in  the  libraries  of  Europe,  show  ad- 
vanced skill  in  pictographic  and  gl3'phic  writing,  and  a  fertility  of  imag- 
ination hardly  paralleled  among  the  known  primitive  races  of  the  world. 


Dec.    1895.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  21 

Their  calendar  system  was  highly  developed  and  appeared  to 
have  embodied  in  it  so  many  elements  of  accurate  chronology  that 
European  scholars  were  amazed.  Alexander  von  Humboldt  was  so 
deeply  impressed  with  its  intricacy  and  perfection  that  he  claimed  it 
could  not  be  wholly  of  native  development,  believing  that  certain  ele- 
ments had  been  borrowed  from  the  far  east;  today,  however,  Brinton 
and  others  are  of  the  opinion  that  it  is  pretty  certainly  the  outgrowth 
of  peculiarly  American  thought  and  practices.  Its  chief  office 
appears  to  have  been  to  serve  the  priesthood  in  carrying  on  their  com- 
plex system  of  religious  observances,  sorcery  and  divination. 

Their  language  is  highly  developed,  though  the  speech  is  gut- 
tural, and  its  grammatical  construction  is  said  to  resemble  the  Eng- 
lish more  closely  than  does  that  of  any  other  American  tongue. 
Their  religion  was  more  humane  than  that  of  the  Aztecs,  human  sac- 
rifice having  been  much  less  generally  prevalent.  The  priesthood  was 
no  doubt  intelligent  and  alj-powerful.  Their  sociology  and  govern- 
ment showed  modifications  of  the  ordinary  American  systems. 

They  practiced  agriculture  with  success,  depending  but  little  on 
the  chase,  and  were  inclined  to  peace  rather  than  war.  They  seem  to 
have  had  considerable  commercial  spirit  and  navigated  the  seas,  trad- 
ing with  Cuba  and  other  distant  parts,  possibly  including  even  Florida. 
There  are  decided  traces  of  Yucatec  characters  in  the  ceramic  art  of 
the  Gulf  coast  of  at  least  three  of  the  states.  In  the  various  shaping 
arts  they  had  few  competitors  in  America,  working  with  especial  suc- 
cess in  stone,  wood  and  clay.  Yucatan,  formed  of  the  younger  sedi- 
mentary rocks,  was  without  native  metals.  Copper,  silver  and  gold 
were  obtained  from  distant  parts  in  small  quantities  and 
had  but  little  place  in  the  arts.  The  textile  and  ceramic  arts  were 
practiced  with  especial  success,  certain  varieties  of  earthenware 
obtained  from  the  southern  Maya  areas  ranking  among  the  highest 
work  of  its  class  in  America. 

Monumental  Remains.  Maya  architecture,  with  its  associated 
sculpture  and  painting,  constitute  the  best  remaining  index  of  the 
achievements  of  the  race.  The  70,000  square  miles  of  Maya  territory 
are  so  dotted  with  the  ruins  of  towns  and  cities  that  the  traveler  is 
seldom  out  of  sight  of  some  mound,  pyramid  or  other  massive  structure. 
The  preservation  of  these  remains  is  wonderful,  considering  the  four 
hundred  years  of  decay  and  destruction  through  which  they  have 
passed.  There  is  hardly  a  modern  village  or  town  on  the  peninsula 
of  Yucatan  that  is  not  built  in  some  part  of  materials  derived  from 
the  ancient  structures.  Yet  the  work  of  demolition  still  goes  on,  and 
presently,  unless  the  Mexican  Government  takes  adequate  measures  to 
preserve  them,  the  traces  of  a  conquered  race  and  its  strange  art  will 


22  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology.  \  ol.    .. 

exist  only  in  books.  Nature  has  vied  with  man  in  the  work  of  level- 
ing the  noble  monuments  with  the  ground.  The  luxuriant  vegetation 
which  envelops  the  ruins  sends  a  multitude  of  strong  roots  deep  into 
the  masonry  at  every  vulnerable  point;  growing  rapidly,  they  act  like 
wedges,  separating  masses  and  aiding  gravitation  and  the  elements  in 
their  never-ceasing  efforts  at  destruction. 

Function  of  Buildings.  The  question  as  to  the  function  of  the 
many  buildings  now  found  in  various  stages  of  demolition  in  the  Maya 
province  has  been  raised  again  and  again  and  still  remains  somewhat 
imperfectly  answered.  There  is  no  doubt,  however,  that  in  the  main 
the}"  were  devoted  to  the  uses  of  religion.  This  is  clear  from 
numerous  statements  made  by  the  conquerors,  who  were  frequent 
witnesses  of  the  strange  rites  practiced  more  or  less  publicly  in  sim- 
ilar buildings  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  Further  than  this  it  is 
observed  of  many  nations  in  various  parts  of  the  world  that  their 
most  important  buildings  were  devoted  to  the  gods  and  the  priest- 
hood, and  the  American  races,  being  intensely  religious  and  pro- 
foundly moved  by  mystic  ideas,  would  hardly  afford  an  exception  to 
the  rule.  Again  many  of  the  buildings  are  of  such  peculiar  or  special- 
ized plan  that  we  are  warranted  in  assigning  them  definitel)'  to  relig- 
ious uses;  such  are  the  so-called  temples  and  shrines  occurring  in 
almost  ever}'  group  of  ruins.  They  are  unfitted  for  the  ordinary-  pur- 
poses of  dw-elling, assembly  or  defense;  the}-  are  restricted  in  space, are 
built  on  pyramids  or  terraces  reached  by  steep  stairways,  and  have  a 
solidity  of  construction  and  an  overloading  of  mythological  embellish- 
ment not  demanded  by  and  hardly  consistent  with  ordinar}-  secular 
uses.  There  are  other  buildings,  often  of  colossal  size,  and  having 
many  windowless  rooms,  which  may  have  been  occupied  by  religious 
societies  or  by  functionaries  whose  duties  pertained  to  the  enclosed 
courts  or  to  adjoining  temples.  Still  they  could  as  well  have  served 
ordinary  domestic  purposes,  since  life  in  these  tropical  regions  must 
have  been  lived  largely  in  the  open  air  and  the  cavern-like  chambers 
would  ser\e  as  cool  retreats  in  the  summer  and  remain  snug  and  dry 
in  the  prolonged  wet  season.  Other  structures  still  are  wholly 
unique;  one  class,  believed  to  have  been  gymnasiums  or  ball-courts, 
consists  mainly  of  two  parallel  walls  of  great  height  and  enormous 
thicknesses,  and  another  are  turret-like  buildings  to  which  no  par- 
ticular use  can  with  reason  be  assigned.  Possibly  rites  pertaining  to 
the  dead  may  have  been  extensively  practiced  in  these  buildings,  but 
purely  mortuary  structures,  if  such  exist,  are  not  well  identified. 
Tombs  of  simple  construction  are  found  in  various  relations  with  the 
ruined  monuments,  occurring  not  infrequently  as  vaults  or  small 
chambers  in  the  sides  of  pyramids  and  terraces.      Burials  in  what  ap- 


Dec.    1895.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  23 

pear  to  be  ordinary  earthen  mounds  have  been  reported  and  some 
examinations  have  been  made,  but  it  must  be  admitted  that  as  yet  the 
methods  of  disposing  of  the  dead  by  the  Yucatecs  are  imperfectly 
understood. 

The  houses  of  the  people  were  no  doubt  largely  built  of  wood 
and  thatch,  or  of  these  materials  in  combination  with  rubble,  so  that 
they  have  for  the  most  part  disappeared.  They  are  doubtless  well 
represented  by  the  more  primitive  dwellings  of  the  modern  Mayas. 

We  find  little  evidence  of  the  existence  of  a  defensive  motive 
among  the  builders,  and  on  the  whole  the  Mayas  must,  during  the 
period  of  greatest  prosperity, have  been  a  peaceable  people.  There  is 
little  or  no  indication  of  the  selection  of  particularly  defensible  sites 
and  few  walls  have  been  found  that  resemble  fortifications.  The 
grouping  of  buildings  in  general  plan  has  no  suggestion  of  a  de- 
fensive arrangement,  and  the  occasional  assemblage  of  four  strong 
structures  about  a  court,  though  presenting  somewhat  the  appearance 
of  a  fortress,  has  apparently  no  significance  in  this  connection;  the 
buildings  are  in  many  cases  placed  so  far  apart  at  the  corners  as  to 
give  free  access  to  all  comers,  and  the  doorways  to  apartments 
are  occasionally  in  the  outer  walls.  Then  again  the  doorways  bear 
no  evidence  of  having  had  doors  of  a  nature  to  aid  in  defense.  There 
are  a  few  examples  of  entrances  whose  peculiar  construction  cannot  be 
explained  save  on  the  theory  that  they  were  intended  to  make  access 
difficult.  This  may  not  indicate  a  defensive  purpose  but  rather  the 
intention  to  remove  the  chambers  as  far  as  possible  from  public  in- 
trusion. The  great  thickness  of  walls  and  the  extraordinary  massive- 
ness  of  construction  had  no  reference  to  defense,  but  resulted  from 
the  crude  efforts  of  aspiring  builders  to  secure  the  strength  and 
permanence  that  greater  experience  would  have  secured  by  less 
costly  means. 

The  Architect  and  his  Plan.  Some  of  the  buildings  are  com- 
posite and  show  successive  accretions  or  periods  of  growth,  and 
this  is  true  to  a  large  extent  of  the  greater  buildings  of  most  nations, 
but  there  are  others  that  stand  as  perfect  units  of  design,  in  which 
the  conception  must  have  been  complete  in  every  detail  when  the 
construction  began,  a  master  mind  controlling  the  cutting  and  the 
placing  of  every  stone.  There  may  have  been  working  drawings — 
and  the  people  were  certainly  equal  to  the  task  of  making  them — but 
if  there  were  none,  the  carrying  out  of  the  work  without  them  must  be 
regarded  as  even  more  remarkable.  The  construction  of  such  build- 
ings as  the  Palace  at  Uxmal  and  the  Castillo  at  Chichen  indicate  a 
mastery  in  architectural  design  well  calculated  to  astonish  the  student 
of  the    half-crystallized   culture    of    the    American    races   in  general. 


24  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  \'ol.    i. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  when  the  work  of  building  began  in 
such  cases,  the  ground  plan,  elevation  and  constructive  design  were 
fully  worked  out  and  the  spacings  of  doorways,  moldings  and  panels 
and  all  details  of  sculptured  decoration  were  fully  decided  upon;  and 
I  should  say  that  even  details  of  stone  cutting,  the  number,  width  and 
angle  of  courses  of  masonry,  were  predetermined,  as  otherwise,  with  the 
complexity  of  form  and  the  infinity  of  geometric  detail  characterizing 
the  facades,  utter  confusion  must  have  resulted. 

Instruments  of  Precision.  As  to  the  implements  and  devices 
used  for  securing  precision  of  dimension,  line,  surface  and  angle, 
opinions  differ.  There  was,  no  doubt,  a  vast  deal  of  simple  eye 
work — and  what  people  have  native  powers  in  this  direction  superior 
to  the  Americans? — but  whether  a  definite  unit  of  measurement  had 
been  devised,  or  whether  the  square  and  plummet  as  known  to  civilized 
builders  were  employed,  it  is  certain  that  competent  devices  were  in 
use,  since  the  carrying  up  of  the  varied  walls  of  structures  hundreds 
of  feet  in  length  and  width  and  many  feet  in  height,  with  constantly 
varying  relations  of  parts  and  play  of  angles  and  slopes,  without  ac- 
curate appliances,  without  something  better  than  the  "mere  rule  of 
thumb,"  would  have  required  superhuman  powers  on  the  part  of  the 
builders. 

Orientation  and  Assemblage.  Notwithstanding  the  suggestion 
of  mastery  in  the  art  of  designing  and  building,  there  is  much  lack  of 
unity  in  the  general  plan  and  grouping  of  the  structures.  Though 
there  is  usually  a  suggestion  of  recognition  of  the  points  of  the 
compass  in  placing  the  buildings,  very  few  are  accurately  oriented, 
and  there  is  such  diversity  of  variation  that  we  must  conclude  there 
was  no  particular  demand  for  uniformity,  a  conclusion  rather  at 
variance  with  the  accepted  notion  which  gives  regard  for  the  points  of 
the  compass  a  high  place  in  native  concepts.  In  other  parts  of 
Mexico,  as  in  the  Valley  of  Mexico  and  Oaxaca,  orientation  was  at- 
tended to  with  much  greater  care. 

As  to  the  existence  of  anything  like  a  system  of  streets  or  road- 
ways little  can  be  learned  from  the  ruins  themselves.  Usually  the 
association  of  separate  buildings  appears  to  be  merely  that  of  con- 
venient proximity.  Perhaps  the  most  usual  form  of  assemblage  is 
that  of  apartments  or  buildings  on  or  about  a  terrace  or  pyramid,  the 
cluster  suggesting  the  cell  groupings  of  some  insects.  The  only  ap- 
proach to  system  in  the  grouping  of  the  structures  of  the  Yucatec  cities 
is  seen  in  the  assemblage  of  four  buildings  about  a  court.  This  arrange- 
ment prevails  extensively  in  the  Zapotecan  and  Nahuatl  cities  of  Mex- 
ico proper.  The  members  of  the  quadrangles  are,  I  believe,  sometimes 
joined  at  the  inner  corners  or  perhaps  connected  completely  ail  around, 


Dec.   1895.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  25 

but  more  frequently  they  are  separated,  giving  free  access  to  the  court. 
In  a  few  cases  there  are  compound  clusters  of  buildings  embodying 
two  or  more  courts,  as  in  the  Palace  at  Palenque. 

Building  Materials.  The  nature  of  the  materials  at  the  disposal 
of  a  people  inclined  to  building  exerts  a  profound  influence  upon  the 
results  achieved.  Stone  of  somewhat  decidedly  favorable  qualities 
would  seem  almost  essential  to  greatness  in  the  art  of  architecture. 
The  Mayas  were  especially  favored  in  this  respect.  The  peninsula 
of  Yucatan  is  composed  of  massive  beds  of  limestone,  homogeneous 
in  texture  and  easily  cut,  even  with  primitive  tools.  Nature  had  not 
only  supplied  the  stone,  but  it  had  in  some  measure  prepared  it  for 
building.  Although  the  land  is  approximately  a  plain,  it  is  still  in  a 
small  way  broken  up  by  low  ridges  and  steps,  and  by  sinkage  into 
underground  channels.  The  forests,  growing  densely  everywhere, 
have  broken  up  the  surface  beds,  giving  great  quantities  of  loose 
stones  immediately  available  to  the  builder  and  directing  the  way  to 
the  opening  and  working  of  quarries.  The  presence  of  unlimited 
supplies  of  limestone  together  with  timber  made  the  burning  of  lime 
an  easy  task  and  this  product  was  extensively  employed.  The 
Yucatec  stone  mason  had,  therefore,  every  necessary  building  mate- 
rial at  hand,  although  he  still  lacked,  in  a  great  measure,  materials 
suited  to  the  manufacture  of  quarrying  and  cutting  tools.  Cherty 
seams  or  masses  of  indurated  limestone,  occurring  in  many  parts, 
served  for  the  ruder  tools,  and  picks  and  chisels  of  special  hardness 
were  probably  brought  in  from  a  distance.  Copper  chisels  are  oc- 
casionally found  as  far  east  even  as  Cozumel,  but  if  used  at  all  in  the 
dressing  of  stone  they  must  have  taken  an  unimportant  place  in 
the  work  on  account  of  the  rarity  of  the  material.  I  had  no  time 
to  seek  the  quarries  from  which  stone  was  obtained  in  Yucatan,  but 
had  the  good  fortune  to  come  upon  excellent  examples  in  Oaxaca. 
Careful  descriptions  of  these  will  be  given  in  Part  II  of  this  paper. 

Mortar,  made  of  lime  and  sand,  and  cement-like  mixtures  com- 
posed of  mortar  tempered  with  gravel,  pounded  stone,  etc.,  were  ex- 
tensively used,  and  their  durability  is  remarkable.  Numerous  floors 
and  roofs  are  still  preserved,  and  many  fine  examples  of  stucco  model- 
ing have  withstood  the  destructive  effects  of  the  weather  for  four 
hundred  years  or  more. 

The  builders  made  very  considerable  use  of  wood,  which,  consid- 
ering the  inferior  grade  of  tools  available,  was  cut,  hewn  and  carved 
with  much  skill.  Wood  must  have  been  extensively  used  in 
connection  with  the  great  stone  buildings,  as  in  doorways,  in  closing 
spaces  between  structures  now  disconnected  and  in  various  enclos- 
ures and  barriers.      There  is  no  doubt  that  pliable  vegetal  growths. 


26  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

such  as  poles,  bark,  vines,  twigs,  etc.,  used  in  textile  or  semi-textile 
combinations,  were  very  fully  employed  in  ordinary  domestic 
structures  as  well  as  in  less  pretentious  buildings  of  other  classes 
pretty  much  as  they  are  to-day. 

Transportation.  The  gathering  of  stones  and  the  cutting  out 
of  masses  from  the  living  rock  were  followed  by  transportation,  a  most 
tedious  and  laborious  task  for  a  people  without  beasts  of  burden  and 
probably  without  many  of  the  effective  transporting  devices  known  to 
more  advanced  peoples.  The  work  of  carrying  the  earth,  mortar  and 
stones  used  in  hearting  the  pyramid  of  the  Castillo  at  Chichen  or  the 
triple-terraced  pyramid  of  the  Palace  at  Uxmal  was  of  itself  a  great 
undertaking,  but  the  transportation  of  the  countless  stones  for  the 
facing  of  both  pyramid  and  superstructure  and  the  lifting  of  the 
larger  masses  employed  in  columns,  jambs,  pillars  and  the  like  to 
heights  reaching  in  cases  nearly  one  hundred  feet,  required  strong 
hearts  and  hands  and  a  controlling  power  of  exceptional  vigor  and 
permanence.  The  Yucatec  Mayas  did  not,  however,  undertake  to 
employ  stones  of  enormous  size,  as  did  the  ancient  builders  of  Mex- 
ico and  Peru.  No  block  or  mass  was  observed  estimated  to  weigh 
more  than  six  or  eight  tons. 

Stone  Cutting  and  Sculpture.  In  constructing  the  greater 
buildings  of  Yucatan,  vast  quantities  of  stone  were  required,  and  the 
labor  of  dressing  and  carving  it  must  have  been  exceedingly  great. 
This  would  be  true  if  nothing  but  the  plain  squared  and  faced  stones 
were  considered,  but  when  we  behold  the  broad  sculptured  facades  of 
such  buildings  as  the  Governor's  Palace  at  Uxmal  or  the  Casas  at 
Kabah,  our  minds  are  filled  with  wonder.  Words  fail  to  give  a  clear 
notion  of  the  work,  for  what  definite  conception  is  conveyed  when  it 
is  stated  that  in  a  single  continuous  facade  upward  of  twenty  thousand 
stones  were  used,  not  only  hewn  of  varied  special  shapes,  but  each 
sculptured  to  represent  some  individual  part  of  a  face,  figure  or  geo- 
metric design,  and  all  fitted  together  with  such  skill  as  to  give  the 
effect  of  an  unbroken  whole?  Maya  statuary,  if  such  their  most 
ambitious  sculpturings  may  be  called,  is,  of  course,  conventional,  and 
from  our  point  of  view,  extremely  crude,  but  these  works  were  almost 
exclusively  intended  to  be  employed  in  architectural  embellishment 
and  were  all-sufficient  for  the  purpose.  Such  are  the  figures  and 
groups  of  figures  sculptured  in  high  relief  or  in  the  round  and  set  in 
niches  in  the  walls,  or  fixed  by  means  of  tenons  in  various  parts  of 
the  field  of  decoration.  There  seem  to  be,  in  the  north,  no  figures 
corresponding  to  the  remarkable  monolithic  carvings  of  the  southern 
Mayas  in  Guatemala  and  Honduras.  Such  works  as  the  recumbent 
human  figures  or   Chac-Mools,   the  tigers  and  Atlantean    figures    of 


Dec.  1895.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  27 

Chichen  are  not  of  a  high  order  of  art  and  were  probably  mostly,  if 
not  exclusively,  mere  adjuncts  of  building  or  furnishing  rather  than 
independent  or  individual  works  of  sculpture. 

Masonry,  Stucco  Work  and  Painting.  The  masonry  comprises, 
in  general,  hearting  and  facing.  The  former  consists  of  earth, 
mortar  and  stones  variously  combined  and  usually  forming  strong, 
well-compacted  bodies.  The  latter  consists  of  stone  cut  or  uncut  and 
laid  up,  with  few  exceptions,  in  excellent  mortar.  Where  the  stones 
were  accurately  cut,  little  mortar  appears  in  the  face  of  the  wall,  but 
it  was  freely  used  in  the  hearting,  and  when  the  facing  stones  were 
deep  they  were  dressed  somewhat  smaller  behind,  and  set  back  in  the 
mortar  as  a  tooth  in  its  socket.  In  the  facing  of  many  walls,  how- 
ever, the  stones  were  very  shallow — often  mere  tile-like  slabs — and 
had  but  slight  hold  upon  the  body  of  the  hearting. 

In  those  centres  of  building  operations  where  the  limestone  was 
readily  worked  and  of  fine,  even  texture,  the  facing  is  well  cut,  and 
the  wall  surfaces  are  in  general  so  even  and  true  as  to  stand  the  test 
of  the  square  and  plumb  line;  but  in  localities  where  the  stone  is 
uneven  in  texture  and  quite  hard,  or  in  provincial  sections  where 
building  was  not  carried  to  a  high  degree  of  perfection,  the  facing  is 
rarely  well  dressed,  save  about  the  doorways,  arches,  corners  and 
especially  exposed  parts.  Rough  surfaces  were  very  generally  evened 
up  with  plaster. 

A  remarkable  feature  of  these  structures  is  the  great  thickness  of 
the  walls,  and  especially  the  extraordinary  massiveness  of  the  masonry 
above  the  spring  of  the  arches.  This  is  clearly  shown  in  several  of 
the  sections  inserted  in  the  following  pages.  Where,  for  example, 
the  outer  wall  is  three  feet  thick  and  the  arch  within  is  ten  feet  wide, 
the  mass  of  masonry  thickens  upward  from  three  feet  at  the  base  of 
the  arch  to  eight  feet  at  the  ceiling  level,  and  in  an  inner  wall,  widen- 
ing both  ways,  to  thirteen  feet,  so  that  two-thirds  or  more  of  the 
space  included  in  the  upper  half  of  the  structure  is  solid  masonry. 
The  roof  is  often  very  thick,  thus  greatly  increasing  the  bulk,  and  it 
seems  a  marvel  that  collapse  from  mere  weight  has  not  been  more 
frequent  than  seems  to  have  been  the  case.  To  all  this  bulk  was 
added,  in  many  instances,  massive  false  fronts  or  colossal  roof-combs 
laden  with  ornament.  So  strongly  knit  is  the  masonry,  however,  that 
but  for  the  decay  of  wooden  lintels,  most  of  the  great  facades  now  in 
ruins  would  have  been  very  fully  preserved.  I  have  computed 
that  a  single-chamber  structure,  with  wallsof  usual  thickness  and  with 
average  arch  space  and  roof  mass,  would  have  two-thirds  of  its  bulk 
solid  masonry,  which  looks  like  a  lavish  waste  of  space,  material  and 
labor.      If  we  take  the  measurements  of    the  Governor's    Palace    at 


28  FiELu  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

Uxmal,  given  by  Bancroft,  we  find  by  a  rough  computation  that  the 
structure  occupies  some  323,000  cubic  feet  of  space,  upwards  of  200,- 
000  of  which  is  solid  masonry,  while  only  about  110,000  feet  is  cham- 
ber space.  If  the  sub-structure  be  taken  into  account,  the  mass  of 
masonry  is  to  the  chamber  space  approximate!}'  as  40  to  i. 

Notwithstanding  the  success  of  these  Maya  masons  in  erecting 
buildings  capable  of  standing  for  hundreds  of  years,  they  were  yet 
ignorant  of  some  of  the  most  essential  principles  of  stone  construction, 
and  are  thus  to  be  regarded  as  hardly  more  than  novices  in  the  art. 
They  made  use  of  various  minor  expedients,  as  any  clever  nation  of 
builders  would,  but  depended  largely  on  mortar  and  inertia  to  hold 
their  buildings  together. 

One  of  the  most  elemental  essentials  of  good  work  is  the  sys- 
tematic breaking  of  joints  in  laying  one  course  of  stones  over  another. 
This  idea  had  hardly  been  grasped,  as  it  not  infrequently  happens 
that  a  seam  or  succession  of  joints  is  connected  almost  directly  from 
base  to  summit  of  a  wall,  and  at  corners,  within  and  without,  and 
about  doorwaj-s  the  stones  are  not  bonded  at  all  and  are  free  to  fall 
out  as  soon  as  the  mortar  gives  way.  The  only  possible  explanation 
of  this  condition  of  the  work  that  occurs  to  me  is  that  the  habit  of 
treating  the  stones  of  a  wall  as  so  many  elements  of  a  mosaic  pattern 
has  tended  to  retard  progress  in  the  direction  of  what  is  sometimes 
called  scientific  construction.  It  will  readily  be  seen  that  in  carving 
and  laying  the  stones  of  a  geometric  design,  as  a  line  of  fret-work 
or  of  snouted  masks,  it  would  be  extremely  inconvenient  to  adapt 
the  shapes  to  any  system  of  jointage,  and  indeed  such  a  thing  would 
be  out  of  the  question. 

Another  considerable  element  of  weakness  in  many  of  these 
structures  was  the  employment  of  veneered  facing  over  large  surfaces 
without  sufficient  headers  or  long  transverse  bonding  stones.  The 
tendenc}'  to  break  awaj^  even  with  very  thin  stones,  is  in  a  measure 
counteracted  by  giving  the  back  a  bevel  almost  from  the  face,  thus 
allowing  the  mortar  to  come  well  forward  in  strong  tongues  nearly  to 
the  surface.  In  some  cases  the  facing  has  fallen  in  a  body  from 
considerable  areas,  exposing  the  hearting,  which  presents  a  remarkably 
even  surface  as  if  built  first  as  a  rough  wall  to  be  faced  up  afterward 
at  the  convenience  of  quarrymen  and  stone-cutters. 

The  laying  of  plaster  or  concrete  floors  and  roofs  was  an  im- 
portant feature  of  the  mason's  work,  and  the  areas  covered  were 
often  very  large.  Stucco,  a  term  applied  to  plaster  when  used  in 
modeling,  was  extensively  employed  in  decoration  and  required 
special  skill  in  its  manipulation.  This  work  was  probably  executed 
by  the  sculptor  or  by  professional  modelers.      It  was   adapted  to   all 


Dec.   1895.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  29 

classes  of  work  and  especially  to  graphic  or  non-geometric  embellish- 
ment, and  found  its  greatest  field  perhaps  in  the  elaboration  of  colossal 
faces  and  figures  such  as  may  be  seen  at  Izamal,  Nocuchich  and 
Palenque.  At  Palenque,  important  wall  spaces,  roof  slopes  and  ex- 
pansive roof  combs  are  loaded  with  ambitious  mythological  subjects. 
Where  the  relief  was  bold,  stones  of  suitable  length  and  size  were 
set  into  the  masonry  to  support  the  plaster.  Thin  slabs  of  limestone 
were  sawed  into  strips  and  cemented  together  very  skillfully  to  form 
the  skeleton  of  the  figures.  Upon  this  foundation  the  plaster  was 
modeled,  finished,  polished  and  painted.  In  some  cases  glyphs 
and  parts  of  figures  and  ornaments  were  first  separately  modeled  and 
then  set  into  place  in  the  backing  of  fresh  mortar.  It  is  observed 
that  in  some  cities  stucco  embellishment  prevailed,  while  in  others 
sculpture  held  almost  undisputed  sway.  It  is  not  known  whether 
this  difference  is  to  be  attributed  to  distinctions  in  the  people, 
to  difference  of  period  or  to  the  influences  of  peculiar  local  en- 
vironment. 

It  was  the  practice  to  finish  plain  walls  in  plaster,  often  rather 
roughly  applied,  and  nearly  all  surfaces,  exterior  and  interior,  where 
effect  was  of  consequence,  were  finished  in  color.  Very  often  plain 
surfaces  in  corridors  and  important  apartments  were  embellished 
with  graphic  subjects,  ornamental  designs,  devices  and  glyphs  in 
brilliant  colors.  Sculptures  in  the  round  and  in  all  degrees  of  relief 
were  also  colored  with  great  care  and  elaboration.  The  range  of 
colors  is  wide,  including  black,  white  and  various  shades  of  green, 
blue,  red  and  yellow.  Their  composition  has  not  been  made  a  matter 
of  study,  but  they  probably  include  both  mineral  and  vegetal  sub- 
stances. 

As  to  the  methods  of  manipulating  stone,  mortar  and  color,  little 
is  definitely  known,  save  through  a  study  of  the  actual  remains. 
Unlike  the  Egyptians,  who  pictured  almost  everything  relating  to 
their  own  arts  and  avocations,  the  Mayas  give  us  but  few  hints  of 
these  things,  both  graphic  and  plastic  art  dealing  almost  exclusively 
with  sacerdotal  subjects  which  furnish,  incidentally  only,  hints  of 
practical  things.  A  notable  exception  is  found  in  one  of  the  Bodleian 
codexes,  where  various  domestic  episodes  and  illustrations  of  the 
practice  of  ordinary  arts  are  given.  Stone,  when  required  in  large 
bodies,  was  cut  out  of  the  mass,  probably  with  rude  stone  picks,  and 
flaked  and  pecked  into  shape  at  great  expense  of  labor.  Very 
generally  the  dressed  surfaces  show  the  chisel  and  pick  or  hammer 
marks,  as  indicated  in  the  specimen  illustrated  in  PL  II.  It  will  strike 
the  observer  as  remarkable  that  the  tool  .marks  in  this  case  retain  the 
whiteness  of  the  original  bruise  so  distinctly  as  to  be  photographed, 


30  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

but  this  effect  is  deceptive  ;  the  roughened  surface  of  the  bruise  merely 
retains  the  white  particles  of  the  mortar  or  paint  which  have  disappeared 
from  the  smoother  fractured  surfaces.  Attention  may  be  called  to  the 
markings  near  the  upper  margin  of  the  stone;  the  blows  employed  in 
flaking  off  the  upper  surface  and  straightening  the  corner  have  been 
made  with  a  sharp  straight-edged  tool,  such  apparently  as  are  known 
only  in  metal.  A  little  below  the  edge  is  a  second  line  of  these 
marks,  indicating  that  the  workman  had  contemplated  and  then 
abandoned  a  further  reduction  of  the  width  of  the  stone. 

I  am  not  able  to  say  with  certainty  to  what  extent  the  dressed 
surfaces  of  the  stone  in  the  walls  of  the  buildings  were  ground 
or  polished,  but  it  seems  natural  that  abrading  processes  should 
have  been  generally  employed.  Hammer  stones,  sledge-heads, 
picks  and  chisels  of  hard  stone  are  found,  but  not  in  the  great 
numbers  that  might  be  expected.  They  are  not  superior  in  make  to 
like  tools  employed  by  the  average  American  savage,  and  none  of 
them  seem  capable  of  having  made  the  marks  illustrated  in  the 
figure.  We  are  thus  led  again  and  again  to  wonder  whether  it  is  not 
possible  that  metal  tools  were  used  and  that  traces  of  their  existence, 
save  in  the  sculptures  produced,  are  wholly  obliterated  by  time. 

The  lime-burner  and  the  color-man  were  most  important 
auxiliaries  of  the  Maya  builder.  Mortar  was  used  in  enormous 
quantities  and  manipulated  with  great  skill,  and  the  same  ma}-  be 
said  of  color;  and  the  trowels  and  brushes  employed  were  no  doubt 
such  as  primitive  people  usually  devise.  It  should  be  observed  that 
it  was  a  common  practice  all  over  the  Mayan,  Oaxacan  and  Nahuatl 
territories  to  finish  architectural  ornaments,  statuary  and  glyphs, 
where  the  stone  was  not  of  the  finest  quality  and  susceptible  of  high 
polish,  in  thick  enamel-like  coatings  of  varied  colors  which  adhered 
with  wonderful  tenacity  to  the  stone  surface  and  were  polished  down 
with  the  utmost  care,  not  reducing  the  relief  or  distinctness  of  even 
the  shallowest  sculpturings,  but  being  made  by  skillful  manipulation 
to  emphasize  and  refine  these  features. 

During  the  great  days  of  temple  building  the  scenes  about  and 
within  one  of  these  Maya  cities  must  have  been  exceedingly  animated 
and  novel.  The  hosts  of  people  planning  and  directing  the  work; 
quarrying,  cutting,  transporting  and  lifting  the  stone;  burning  lime, 
carrying  water,  mixing  mortar,  hewing  wood,  preparing  paints,  and 
engaged  in  the  work  of  building  and  decorating,  must  have  furnished 
scenes  in  striking  contrast  with  the  desolation  of  the  dismantled  and 
forest  buried  cities  of  today. 

Substructures.  The  ancient  cities  of  Yucatan  were  built  on 
plains    or   on   comparatively  level    ground   and  were  without  the  ad- 


Pl.  II.     Fragment  of  Hewn  Stone  from  Chichen-Itza. 


Showing  marks  of  the  implements  with  which  it  was  shaped.  The  upper 
surface  was  flaked  off  by  strokes  from  an  edged  tool,  as  indicated  by  the  white 
lines  near  the  margin,  and  the  face  was  rough  dressed  by  pecking  with  a 
pointed  tool. 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,   PL.   II. 


Fragment  of  Hewn  Stone  from  Chichen-Itza. 


Dec.    1895.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  31 

vantage  of  bold  natural  features,  but  art  largely  supplied  this  want, 
and  no  nation  of  builders,  save  possibly  the  Mound-builders  of  the 
Mississippi  Valley  has  ever  equaled  this  people  in  the  number, 
variety  and  size  of  its  terraces  and  pyramids;  however,  there  appear 
to  be  no  pyramids  that  are  mere  pyramids,  no  terraces  that  are  mere 
terraces;  all  or  nearly  all  were  constructed  to  support  buildings, 
altars  or  idols,  and  their  diversity  of  size,  contour  and  position  give 
striking  and  picturesque  results.  Usually  the  substructures  are 
square  or  rectangular  in  plan.  The  largest  reported  in  Yucatan  is 
upward  of  500  feet  in  length  and  width,  and  the  height  of  the  loftiest 
reaches  nearly  100  feet.  The  sides  slope  at  various  angles  and  some 
are  practically  vertical  in  whole  or  in  part;  many  rise  in  steps,  the 
succeeding  terraces  or  platforms  being  of  equal  or  unequal  height  and 
of  varying  horizontal  extent.  As  a  rule  they  are  or  were  faced  with 
stone  which  was  dressed  smooth  or  plastered.  In  the  finer  structures 
the  terrace  faces  were  panelled  in  hewn  stone  or  embellished  with 
moldings  or  with  sculptured  or  stucco  reliefs.  The  corners  were 
often  rounded  and  formed  of  large  and  specially  sculptured  stones.- 
They  were  ascended  by  substantial,  generally  steep  and  wide  stair- 
ways on  one  or  more  of  the  sides.  The  interior  mass  was  constructed 
of  earth  and  stones  or  mortar  and  stones  usually  forming  a  solid  or 
well  compacted  body.  In  cases,  however,  this  pile  was  not  depended 
upon  as  a  sufficient  support  for  the  superstructure,  and  foundation 
walls  were  carried  up  from  considerable  depth  or  from  the  ground 
level.  The  upper  surface  was  generally  floored  with  cement,  though 
paving  with  slabs  is  occasionally  seen.  No  doubt  these  piles  were  in 
cases  the  result  of  a  long  period  of  growth,  and  it  probably  sometimes 
happened  that  when  a  loftier  structure  was  desired  ground  floor 
apartments  were  filled  in  solid  with  rubble  or  masonry,  giving  firm 
foundations  for  a  second  story  or  superstructure.  In  some  cases  the 
exterior  of  vertical-walled  substructures  was  enforced  by  abutting 
masonry  entirely  encasing  the  original  nucleus  and  giving  the  effect 
of  an  ordinary  sloped  terrace  or  pyramid. 

In  Fig.  I  a  few  examples  of  terraces  and  pyramids  are  pre- 
sented in  outline.  The  variety  of  contour  is  very  great  and  it  may 
be  said  that  no  two  specimens  are  alike.  The  most  unique  form  is 
that  of  the  Temple  of  the  Magician  at  Uxmal,  h,  which  is  oblong  in 
plan  and  rounded  at  the  ends;  the  loftiest  is  that  of  El  Castillo  at 
Chichen,  which  is  of  the  stepped  type  seen  in//  while  the  grandest 
and  most  diversified  in  contour  is  that  of  the  Governor's  House  at 
Uxmal,  shown  approximately  in  g.  In  a,  b,  c,  d  and  e  we  have 
what  may  be  regarded  as  the  most  common  forms.  The  substruc- 
ture of  the  Temple  of  the  Tigers    at    Chichen,   /,   is  peculiar    only 


32  Field  Columrian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

in    being    associated    with    the  great    wall    of    the    Tennis  Court    or 
Gymnasium. 

•  Stairways.  The  stairways  of  the  Maya  pyramids  (see  Fig.  i) 
share  in  a  large  measure  the  boldness  and  magnitude  of  the  con- 
structions with  which  they  are  associated  and  of  which  they  form  an 
essential  part.  A  single  stairway  would  have  afforded  all  necessary 
access  to  the  lofty  summits,  but  it  is  not  unusual  to  find  two  flights, 
and  three  or  even  four  flights  are  known  leading  to  the  same 
temple,  and  each  built  on  an  equally  grand  scale  and  finished  with 
like  elaboration.  All  are  exterior  and  centrally  placed,  leading  directly 
up  the  face  of  the  pyramid.  Usually  they  are  wide  and  bordered 
with  some  kind  of  solid  balustrade.  The  favorite  design  for 
the  rail  is  a  colossal  serpent,  the  head  with  wide  open  mouth  and 
protruding  tongue  extended  upon  the  ground,  the  body,  ap- 
propriately carved,  extending  to  the  summit.  In  Yucatan  the  steps 
are  neither  high  nor  wide,  averaging  perhaps  a  foot  in  rise  and  a 
little  less  in  tread.  The  pitch  is  thus  45  degrees  or  more.  The 
stones  used  are  generally  rather  small  and  not  very  smoothly  dressed 
or  well  fitted,  and  it  is  probable  that  all  important  flights  were  finished 
in  cement  and  color.  The  stairway  usually  conforms  to  the  slope  of 
the  pyramid  or  shows  only  a  little  relief  therefrom,  but  occasionally 
the  angle  is  reduced,  throwing  the  base  out  from  the  base  of  the 
pyramid,  suggesting  the  graded  way  of  the  Mound-builders.  Where 
associated  with  a  vertical  or  very  steep  ascent  or  a  series  of  rises, 
it  is  built  out  solid  or  carried  over  arches,  as  in  the  Palace  at  Chichen. 
Interior  stairways  are  not  found  in  pyramids  and  are  rare  and  unim- 
portant in  the  superstructures;  the  winding  stair  in  the  round  tower 
at  Chichen  and  the  several  narrow  flights  in  Palenque  being  perhaps 
the  best  known  examples.  The  most  interesting  stairways  met  with 
on  the  voyage  are  in  the  courts  of  the  Palace  at  Palenque.  Here 
large  stones  were  used,  on  the  faces  of  which  are  glyphic  sculptures. 
The  evolution  of  the  stairway  in  its  various  forms  was  probably  sim- 
ple and  natural  and  seems  to  present  no  problems — no  obscure  pass- 
ages— worthy  of  particular  discussion. 

Superstructures.  I  cannot  undertake  in  this  place  to  give 
more  than  a  mere  outline  of  the  leading  features  and  characteristics 
of  the  many  buildings  visited.  A  few  only  of  the  larger  structures 
are  built  on  the  ground  level  of  the  site,  though  many  are  but  slightly 
raised.  In  some  cases  the  terraces  and  pyramids  have  developed  in 
sections  by  the  addition  of  parts  needed  to  accommodate  new  build- 
ings, and  again,  as  already  mentioned,  the  supporting  pile  has  been 
built  and  completed  at  once  to  receive  the    superstructure    upon    its 


Dec.    1895.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico— Holmes. 


33 


a. 


Fig.  1.     Examples  of  Terraces  and  Pyramids,  Superstructures  Omitted. 


34  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol,    i. 

summit.  The  plan  of  the  building  in  the  one  instance  is  often  com- 
posite and  irregular  and  in  the  other  is  simple  and  regular.  A  num- 
ber of  buildings  may  occupy  a  single  large  foundation  mass,  and  build- 
ings or  chambers  may  occur  independently  of  each  other  on  different 
levels  of  the  same  substructure.  In  a  few  cases  only,  as  at  Tuloom 
and  Palenque,  do  we  find  a  second  story  built  above  a  lower  story 
which  has  not  first  been  filled  up.  Where  several  buildings  of 
different  levels  are  associated,  the  lower  tier  stands  against  the  base 
of  the  pyramid,  the  second,  back  of  this,  occupies  the  first  terrace, 
and  the  third,  back  of  this  again,  is  on  the  second  level. 

The  ground  plan  is  usually  rectangular,  two  or  three  examples 
only  of  round  houses  having  been  reported.  Large  buildings  of  inde- 
pendent position  are  mostly  rather  long, and  narrow,  the  width  hav- 
ing been  limited  by  the  difficulty  of  widening  the  arch  where  one  or 
two  tiers  of  rooms  are  used,  and  of  securing  light  in  the  inner  cham- 
bers of  multiple  tiers,  since  the  upper  wall  and  roof  are  never  perfor- 
ated. In  detail  the  plan  of  large  buildings,  even  the  most  complex, 
shows  little  more  than  a  mere  multiplication  of  the  simple  rectangu- 
lar cell  unit.  Exceptions  are  found  in  the  Round  Tower  of  Chi- 
chen  and  in  the  corridor-like  galleries  of  Palenque,  and,  no  doubt, 
also  in  several  multi-columned  structures  now  too  much  ruined  to  be 
fully  analyzed. 

The  buildings  usually  classed  as  temples  are  not  large  and  are 
generally  squarish  in  plan.  They  have  from  one  to  four  rooms. 
When  the  rooms  are  multiple  they  are  so  arranged  as  to  indicate 
pretty  clearly  a  specialization  of  use.  The  two  essencial  features 
in  such  cases  are  an  outer  chamber  or  vestibule  and  an  inner 
chamber  or  sanctuary.  The  vestibule  is  entered  by  a  plain,  single 
doorway  in  inferior  structures,  and  by  a  wide  doorway  divided  by 
columns  or  piers  in  those  of  the  better  class.  Usually  it  extends 
entirely  across  the  front  of  the  building.  The  fully  developed  vesti- 
bule is  a  modified  outer  chamber,  and  is  characterized  by  multiple 
exterior  doorways  separated  by  piers  or  by  columns,  giving  the  effect 
of  a  portico  closed  at  the  ends.  The  sanctuary  is  mostly  entered  by 
a  central  doorway,  though  lateral  entrances  are  sometimes  provided. 
Additional  rooms  are  arranged  about  the  sanctuary  at  the  right  or  left 
or  extend  behind  it,  as  in  the  case  of  El  Castillo  at  Chichen.  Most 
of  the  Palenque  temples  have  an  outer  apartment  of  the  vestibule 
type,  entered  between  piers;  and  a  back  apartment  enclosing  a  small 
roofed  sanctuary,  entered  by  a  single  door.  Small  rooms  are  placed 
at  the  sides.  When  there  is  a  single  chamber  only,  which  is  not  un- 
common, it  exhibits  frequently  the  characters  of  the  vestibule.  Altars  are 
rarely  found,  the  only  example  met  with  being  in  a  small  temple  on  the 


Dec.   1895.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  35 

Island  of  Mugeres.  In  Fig.  2  a  series  of  temple  plans  is  given,  illus- 
trating the  remarks  just  made.  I  take  it  that,  if  these  varied  struc- 
tures are  properly  called  temples,  any  apartment  or  any  suite  of 
apartments  in  any  building  may  have  served  the  purposes  of  a  temple, 


n  o  EB  Ell  E^  yiiy 

a,  i,  C  a^  e  / 

Fig.  2,     Specialization  of  the  Ground  Plan  of  Maya  Temples. 

a     Single-chamber  building  with  plain  door. 

b     Single-chamber  temple  with  wide  doorway  and  two  square  columns. 

c  Two-chamber  temple,  the  vestibule  with  wide  doorway  and  round  columns,  and  the  sanctu- 
ary with  single  plain  doorway. 

d  Two-chamber  temple,  the  vestibule  with  simple  doorway,  and  the  sanctuary  with  three 
doorways  and  a  low  altar. 

e  Four-chamber  temple,  Palenque  type,  the  vestibule  with  three  entrances  and  two  squarish 
piers,  the  sanctuary  with  tablet  chamber,  and  two  small  lateral  chambers. 

/  Three-chamber  temple,  Chichen-Itza  type,  the  vestibule  entered  by  wide  portal  with  two 
serpent  columns,  the  sanctuary  enlarged  by  introducing  two  square  columns  to  sup- 
port the  triple  vault,  and  a  long  gallery  with  three  doorways  extending  behind. 

though  the  term  may  not  with  propriety  be  applied  to  any  structure 
not  showing  peculiarity  of  placement  or  style,  in  which  there  is  not 
some  variation  from  the  mere  grouping  of  simple  chamber  units. 

Ordinary  doorways  are  single  and  give  entrance  to  a  single  room 
or,  at  most,  to  a  suite  rarely  having  more  than  two  or  three  rooms. 
Back  rooms  are  entered  by  doorways  closely  resembling  the  outer 
ones,  getting  all  their  light  through  them.  The  various  forms  of 
doorways  are  described  farther  on. 

Apartments  of  all  classes  and  all  vaulted  spaces  are,  with  a  few 
exceptions,  limited  in  width  by  the  capacity  of  the  native  arch  to 
twelve  feet  or  less.  The  length  has  no  necessary  limit,  reaching  in 
cases  sixty  feet  or  more.  Such  long  rooms  may  be  entered  by  a  num- 
ber of  doorways  and  thus  approximate  the  corridor  type.  It  is  reason- 
able to  suppose  that  some  of  the  buildings,  now  represented  by  piles 
of  debris  from  which  protrude  multiple  rows  of  columns,  as  atChichen 
and  Ak^,  were  much  more  expansive  in  their  apartment  spaces  which 
were  rendered  coalescent  by  the  use  of  columns  instead  of  partition 
walls.  A  notable  feature  of  the  plan  in  quadrangular  groups  of 
buildings  is  the  gateway  or  wide,  arched  passage  which  opens  through 
one  of  the  outer  buildings  into  the  court. 

The  greater  Maya  buildings,  though  at  times  appearing  complex  in 
plan,  are  really  exceedingly  simple.  The  unit  is  the  single  cell  or  cham- 
ber seen  standing  alone  in  a,  Fig.  3.  The  building  shown  in  b  con- 
sists of  several  units  combined  in  one;  variety  is  given  to  the  plan  in 
unsymmetrical  structures  by  adding  other  units  in  less  uniform  ways  and 


36  FiKi.i)  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.   i. 

of  varj'ing  size.  The  building  shown  in  d  differs  from  the  preceding 
in  having  a  sloped  instead  of  a  vertical  entablature,  the  interior 
arrangements  being  much  the  same  as  in  b.  A  sketch,  intended  as  a 
restoration  of  the  Caracol  or  Round  Tower  of  Chichen,  is  presented  in 
i-.  *  This  edifice  contains  two  circular,  concentric  chambers  identical 
in  constructive  principle  with  the  rectangular  forms.  In  e  we  have  the 
Palenque  type  of  temple,  and/"  is  the  square  tower  of  the  Palace  at  Pal- 
enque,  the  plan  and  construction  of  which  are  peculiar  in  several  respects. 

Wall  Surfaces,  Ceilings,  Roofs,  Etc.  Under  the  head  of 
masonry  I  have  given  some  details  of  the  composition  and  construc- 
tion of  the  walls  and  buildings;  these  need  not  be  repeated  here.  The 
walls  are  massive,  ranging  in  all  important  buildings  from  three  to  five 
feet  in  thickness,  and  in  special  cases  reaching  eight  or  nine  feet. 
Though  the  so-called  Gymnasium  ramparts  at  Uxmal  and  Chichen 
are  much  thicker  than  this,  they  are  not  to  be  classed  with  the  Avails 
of  buildings.  The  exterior  wall  faces  are  seldom  pierced  or  inter- 
rupted save  by  doorways,  vaulted  portals  and  small  openings,  the  lat- 
ter probably  intended  for  ventilation,  and  in  Yucatan,  with  some 
exceptions,  they  rise  vertically  or  nearly  so  to  the  full  height  of  the 
buildings.  In  the  Palenque  or  Usumacinta  province,  the  upper  wall 
or  entablature  zone  usually  inclines  inward,  conforming  more  or  less 
closely  with  the  slope  of  the  arch  within.  On  the  inside  the  walls 
rise  vertically  to  the  spring  or  base  of  the  arch,  a  height  varying  from 
a  few  inches  to  ten  or  twelve  feet.  The  inclined  surfaces  of  the  arch, 
in  each  apartment  or  covered  space,  slope  inward  from  the  sides,  and 
sometimes  also  from  the  ends,  at  an  angle  of  from  fifteen  to  forty 
degrees  from  the  vertical,  and  either  meet  at  the  top  in  a  sharp  angle, 
as  seen  in  a  few  cases  at  Chichen  and  elsewhere,  or  approach  to  with- 
in a  foot  or  two  the  narrow  way,  when  they  are  connected  by  horizontal 
slabs  and  firmly  held  together  by  the  superincumbent  roof-masonry. 
Flat  ceilings  supported  by  wooden  beams  occur  in  a  very  few  cases, 
as  at  El  Meco  and  Tuloom  on  the  east  shore,  but  many  of  the  build- 
ings now  roofless  were  probably  so  constructed.  Stone  beams  were 
used  for  short  spans,  as  in  miniature  apartments,  narrow  openings 
and  passageways. 

The  treatment  of  the  interior  wall  surface  is  not  greatly  varied, 
yet  within  a  limited  range  presents  some  interesting  features.  It 
is  remarked  that  the  apartments  are  little  broken  up  by  fixed  feat- 
ures such  as  steps,  stairways,  niches,  altars,  tables,  mouldings  and 
the  like,  and  there  are  but  slight  signs  of  the  former  presence  of 
movable   furnishings   such  as  might  be  expected  in    fully  occupied 

*It  seems  reasonably  certain  that  the  walls  of  both  stories  of  this  building  were  vertical  as  indi- 
cated, but  the  number  and  position  of  the  openings  of  the  upper  turret,  and  the  character  of  the 
platforms,  or  roofs,  remains  problematical. 


Dec.    1895.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico— Holmes. 


37 


Fig.  3.     Examples  of  Maya  Buildings. 

Single-chamber  building— a  unit  of  construction. 

Multiple  chambered  building— an  assemblage  of  12  or  14  units. 

Restoration  of  circular  building.  Chichen-ltza. 

Building  with  sloping  entablature,  Chichen  Itza. 

Temple  with  sloping  entablature  and  roof-comb,  Palenque. 

Square  tower  of  four  stories,  Palenque— roof  restored 


38 


Field  Columbian  Mcseum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 


domiciliary  chambers.  High  up  in  the  arches  are  occasional  cross- 
beams or  poles  set  in  the  masonry  as  if  to  support  the  sloping  walls 
while  the  mason  was  at  work,  and  probably  used  incidentally  for  sus- 
pending hangings  or  property.  At  the  sides  of  the  doors  are  numerous 
sunken  cord-holders — a  kind  of  dumb-sheave,  as  sailors  would  say — 
carved  or  built  into  the  masonry,  by  means  of  which  textile  hangings 
were  probably  suspended  or  held  in  place.  Illustrations  of  these 
devices  are  given  in  Fig.   4.      In  a  we  have  a  good  example  of    the 


Fig.  4.    Cord  Holders  or  Dumb  Sheaves. 

Cords  are  introduced  to  show  probable  manner  of  use. 
a      Form  of  dumb-sheave  built  into  the  masonr>'  wall. 
b     Drilled  cord-holder  in  back  of  column. 
c      Cord-holders  as  used  in  moldings  and  corners  of  jambs  and  walls. 

dumb-sheave  holder  typically  developed  at  Palenque.  It  is  built  in 
the  plain  masonry  wall.  The  depression  is  seven  inches  high  and  ten 
inches  deep  and  the  small  stone  cylinder  is  four  inches  in  diameter 
and  sets  back  about  four  inches  from  the  wall  face.  This  form  is 
usually  found  on  the  inside  of  doorways,  a  foot  or  two  back  from  the 
jamb,  and  distributed  in  rows  of  three  or  four  from  lintel  level  to 
floor.  Example  b  is  of  the  countersunk  type  and  occurs  in  the  back 
of  a  serpent  column  at  Chichen-Itza.  The  same  type  is  utilized  in 
corners,  eaves,  moldings  and  the  like  as  shown  in  c.  These  sketches 
represent  the  better  class  of  holders.  Many  examples  are  so  poorly 
made  that  they  would  not  withstand  a  strong  pull  by  an  able-bodied 
man,  and  some  are  modeled  in  plaster. 

In  interior  as  in  exterior  walls,  the  masonry  exhibits  all  grades  of 
finish  from  the  rough,  unhewn,  irregularly  laid  stone  facing  to  the 
perfectly  dressed  and  coursed  surface;  the  rougher  surfaces  were  gen- 
erally plastered  and  very  many  were  finished  in  color.  Small,  dark, 
unimportant  chambers,  passageways,  etc.,  were  given  but  little  atten- 
tion. In  cases  the  surface  is  carved  elaborately,  as  in  the  ground 
floor  apartment  in  the  Temple  of  the  Tigers  at  Chichen;  and  in  other 
cases  the  walls  were  covered  with  paintings  of  mythic  or  historic  sub- 
jects or  with  conventional  decorations  in  color,  as  in  the  upper  build- 
ing in  the  same  ruin.      Exceptional  features  of    interior  construction 


Dec.   1895.         Anxient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  39 

and  finish  are  observed  in  Palenque,  where  the  walls  of  sanctuaries  are 
covered  with  inscribed  limestone  tablets  and  stucco  reliefs.  In  other 
cases,  as  in  the  Palace  at  Palenque,  the  walls  are  embellished  with 
elaborate  stucco  devices  and  figure  subjects  in  relief,  all  richly  colored. 

Exterior  wall  surfaces,  especially  the  facades  of  buildings,  embody 
many  striking  characters.  They  exhibit  all  grades  of  finish,  from  the 
mortarless  wall  of  rough  irregularly  laid  stones,  to  the  unbroken  field 
of  sculptured  or  modeled  decorations.  As  a  rule  they  are  plainer  be- 
low and  increase  in  richness  of  treatment  toward  the  top,  terminating, 
in  many  of  the  great  structures,  in  flying  fronts  devoted  exclusively  to 
decorative  effect.  Of  the  same  order  as  the  latter  is  the  central  roof- 
comb  found  in  many  buildings,  and  well  illustrated  by  the  House  of  the 
Pigeons  at  Uxmal  and  the  Temple  of  the  Cross  at  Palenque.  The 
treatment  of  facades  indicates  a  pronounced  love  of  display  on  the 
part  of  the  builders,  and  in  many  cases  at  least  nine-tenths  of  the 
labor  expended  on  a  building  is  represented  in  show  alone. 

Among  the  most  persistent  features  of  the  mural  surfaces  in  Yuca- 
tan are  the  two  lines  of  moldings,  one  of  which  extends  around  the  build- 
ing nearly  midway  in  its  height,  and  the  other  at  the  top  associated  with 
the  coping  stones.  The  mural  space  is  thus  divided  into  two  zones 
of  nearly  equal  width,  the  upper  representing  the  entablature  of  classic 
styles.  In  the  Usumacinta  province,  where  the  entablature  zone 
slopes  backward,  the  inferior  and  superior  moldings  are  less  uniform 
in  profile,  and  less  pronounced  in  character.  The  lower  zone  is  usu- 
ally nearly  plain  and  contains  the  doorways;  the  upper  is  finished 
with  symbolic  and  decorative  sculptures.  The  high  arched  gateways 
or  portals  which  penetrate  some  of  the  buildings,  usually  giving 
entrance  to  the  court,  extend  upward  into  the  upper  decorated  zone. 
The  flying  facade  sometimes  added  above  to  give  extra  height  re- 
peats, in  a  measure,  or  continues  the  decorative  features  of  the  en- 
tablature zone  below.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  roof-comb,  but 
this  feature,  in  one  case  at  least — the  House  of  the  Pigeons  at  Uxmal 
— repeats  both  the  lower  and  upper  mural  zones. 

The  illustration  given  in  Fig.  5  will  serve  to  indicate  sufficiently 
the  construction  and  relations  of  the  various  features  of  an  ordinary 
Maya  building.  The  upper  part  of  the  sub-structure  or  pyramid  is 
included  and  shows  the  stairway  at  the  left,  approaching  the  front  door- 
way, and  a  plain  slope  at  the  right.  Details  of  the  masonry  of  this 
mass  are  somewhat  hypothetical,  as  I  have  not  been  able  to  deter- 
mine whether  or  not  it  is  the  rule  that  a  special  foundation  wall  with 
vertical  outer  face  was  built  from  the  ground  up,  but  it  is  certain  that 
this  was  often  the  case,  and  that  the  stairway  and  abutting  masonry 
were  afterward  added,  as  here  shown,  transforming  the  vertical-faced 
sub-structure  into  a  sloping  one.      The   floor  is  cemented   as   a    rule, 


40  Field  Columhian  Museum — Anthropology,  \'ol.    i. 

but  occasionally  is  flagged,  and  the  inner  floor  is  in  cases  a  step  high- 
er than  the  esplanade  without.  The  superstructure  here  utilized,  has 
two  chambers,  or  two  tiers  of  chambers,  vaulted  with  the  ordinary 
arch,  and  the  walls  are  vertical  without  as  is  usual  in  Yucatan.  The 
nature  of  the  facing  and  hearting  is  shown  in  section  in  the  back  wall 
at  the  right,  and  the  illy  jointed  and  bonded  masonry  is  correctly 
represented.  The  use  of  larger  stones  in  the  jambs  of  the  doorwa3's 
is  indicated  at  the  left.  At  a  is  the  plain  lower  wall  with  doorway  at 
d,  and  above  is  a  sectional  view  of  the  wooden  lintels,  c.  The  front 
and  back  chambers  are  connected  by  a  second  doorway,  d,  identical 
with  the  outer  one.  The  sloping  sides  of  the  corbellateor  offset  arch, 
dressed  with  the  bevel,  are  seen  at  e  and  the  capstone  is  at/.  Special 
features  seen  within  the  rooms  are  the  small,  square,  wall  perforation 
at  the  right,  the  poles  or  braces  within  the  arch  above,  and  two  forms 
of  cord  fasteners — not  large  en'ough  to  be  clearly  made  out — at  the  side 
of  the  inner  door.  One  pair  of  these  is  made  by  drilling  holes 
from  adjoining  faces  of  the  stone  until  they  meet,  and  the  other  by 
building  a  deep  depression  in  the  surface  of  the  wall  into  which 
is  fixed  a  vertical  piece  of  round  stone.  The  medial  moldings, 
separating  the  two  mural  zones,  typically  developed,  are  shown  at  ^>. 
The  upper  zone  with  its  sculpture-mosaic  surface  is  seen  at  //,  and  the 
upper  or  frieze  molding  and  coping  course  appears  at  the  top,  i. 
Continuous  with  the  facade  plane  is  the  false  or  flying  front,  repeat- 
ing the  decorations  of  the  facade  proper  more  or  less  faithfully,  and 
solid  or  perforated  as  the  builder  pleased  or  the  nature  of  the  orna- 
ment suggested.  In  some  cases  this  feature  is  repeated  in  the  same 
form  over  the  medial  wall  of  the  building,  but  more  frequently  we 
have  a  more  ambitious  roof-comb,  as  indicated  at  k,  and  typically 
illustrated  in  the  House  of  the  Pigeons,  Uxmal.  It  appears  that  the 
two  forms  are  not  likely  to  occur  on  the  same  structure.  Details  are 
given  in  other  connections.  In  the  drawing  the  combs  are  discon- 
nected from  the  building  so  that  the  ordinary  roof  may  be  seen  in  its 
level  simplicity. 

Doorways  and  Other  Wall  Openings.  The  wall  perforations 
of  Maya  buildings  may  be  arranged  under  six  heads.  They  consist 
of  (i)  simple  rectangular  doorways  with  jambs,  lintels  and  sometimes 
sills,  (2)  multiple  or  compound  doorways  in  which  the  wide  void  is 
divided  by  one,  two,  three  or  more  columns  or  pillars,  (3)  arched 
doorways  which  are  of  rare  occurrence,  (4)  certain  window-like  open- 
ings or  air  holes  of  small  size  and  varied  shape,  (5)  the  diversified 
openings  in  flying  facades  and  roof-crests,  some  representing  the  in- 
terspaces of  geometric  ornaments,  and  others  resembling  doorways 
in  their  construction,  but  serving  no  function  save  that  of  embellish- 


Dec.    1895. 


Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


41 


Fig.  5.    Transverse  Section  of  an  Ordinary  Yucatec  Building. 

The  upper  part  of  the  pyramid  is  shown  with  the  stairway  at  the  left. 
Lower  wall-zone  pierced  by  a  plain  doorway. 
Doorway  showing  squared  and  dressed  stones  of  jamb. 

c.  Wooden  lintels  cut  midway  in  length. 

d.  Doorway  connecting  front  with  back  chamber  and  showing  position  of  cord  holders. 

e.  Inner  face  of  arch  dressed  with  the  slope. 

f.  Ceiling,  or  cap-stones  of  arch. 

g.  Lower  line  of  mouldings,  a  survival  of  the  archaic  cornice. 
/;.      Decorated  entablature  zone. 

i.       Upper  mouldings  and  coping. 

j.k.  False  front  with  decorations,  (occasionally  added). 

/.      Root-crest  with  decorations,  (occasionally  added). 


b. 


42  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

ment,  and  (6)  the  so-called  arched  portals  or  gateways  which  are  not 
wall  perforations  in  the  same  sense  as  the  others,  but  vaulted  pass- 
ageways opening  entirely  through  the  building  from  side  to  side,  and 
not  communicating  with  the  apartments.  The  latter  are  described 
under  the  heading  of  the  arch. 

In  Figs.  6  and  7,  two  illustrations  of  ordinary  doorways  of  the 
better  class  are  given.  They  are  solidly  built  and  effective.  The 
first  is  an  exterior  doorway  with  heavy  stone  lintel,  and  with  jambs 
built  of  large  blocks  well  dressed  and  laid.  With  the  serrate  lattice- 
work panels  at  the  right  and  left — very  slightly  indicated — the  effect  is 
highly  satisfactory.      The  height  is  seven  and  the  width  four  feet. 

The  second  is  an  interior  doorway  connecting  the  corridor  of  a 
Chichen  temple  with  the  sanctuary.  The  solidity  of  its  construction 
is  a  marked  feature,  and  its  chief  characteristics  of  design  are  the 
heavy  pilasters  and  the  three  zapote  lintels,  the  middle  one,  lower 
than  the  others,  resting  on  the  pilasters.  These  lintels  in  a  well  con- 
structed doorway  are  usually  neatly  squared  and  perfectly  fitted  to  the 
stone  work.  Occasionally  we  find  them  only  partially  squared  and 
of  meagre  length,  the  spaces  left  at  the  ends  being  filled  up  with  mor- 
tar and  bits  of  stone.  It  is  not  improbable  that  such  inferior  adjust- 
ments resulted  from  the  insertion  of  new  beams  by  indifferent  workmen 
as  decay  made  replacement  necessary.  Both  jambs  and  lintels  in  such 
doorways  were  often  embellished  with  elaborate  sculptures  or  glyphic 
inscriptions. 

Two  fine  doorways  are  shown  in  Figs.  8  and  g.  When  the  am- 
bitious builders  desired  to  make  the  portal  especially  imposing  in 
effect  they  increased  its  width  and  inserted  columns  or  pillars  to  sup- 
port the  long  lintel  which  was  made  up  of  as  many  sections  as  there 
were  openings.  Fig.  8  illustrates  a  single  round  stone  column  with 
square  cap,  supporting  the  contiguous  ends  of  two  stone  lintels,  the 
other  ends  of  which  rest  on  square-capped  jambs.  In  the  same  edi- 
fice with  the  above  there  are  also  examples  of  the  use  of  two  and  three 
columns,  giving  very  pleasing  effects.  Perhaps  the  most  effective  and 
striking  style  of  temple  entrance  in  Yucatan  is  that  sketched  in  Fig. 
9.  The  opening  is  some  20  feet  wide  and  8  feet  high,  and  is  divided 
by  two  massive  columns  sculptured  to  represent  feathered  serpents; 
these  are  fully  described  in  the  succeeding  section.  The  lintel  in  this 
doorway  consists  of  three  sets  of  beams,  two  or  three  to  a  set.  Both 
the  front  beam  and  that  facing  the  corridor  are  well  squared,  and  the 
middle  beam,  when  there  are  three,  is  less  carefully  dressed. 

Another  phase  of  the  wall  openings  of  these  buildings  is  seen  in 
Palenque,  where  the  numerous  doorways  are  so  close  together  that 
the  wall  is  represented  by  a  series  of  piers  only  extending  nearly  all  the 


Dec.   1895.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico— Holmes. 


43 


Fig.  6.     Exterior  Doorway. 

Of  simple  form  but  tasteful  finish.     The  lintel  is  of  stone  and  the  jambs  are  built  of  large, 

well-dressed  blocks. 


Fig.  7.     Interior  Doorway. 


44  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 


Fig.  8.     Wide  Exterior  Doorway. 

Divided  by  a  single  round  column  supporting  stone  lintels. 


Fig.  9.     Wide  Exterior  Doorway. 

Of  highest  class,  with  two  massive  feathered-serpent  columns  supporting  wooden  lintels. 


Dec.  1895.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


45 


way  around  the  building.  There  are  ruined  buildings  in  north-eastern 
Yucatan  which  bristle  with  rows  of  columns,  and  it  seems  probable 
that  in  such  case  the  whole  structure  or  a  large  part  of  it  may  have  been 
supported  on  these  columns  without  enclosing  walls,  thus  leaving 
continuous  openings  separated  by  round  columns;  naturally  structures 
of  this  class  would  fall  into  ruin  before  those  supported  by  strong 
walls.  The  other  varieties  of  wall  perforations,  save  the  minor  forms 
represented  by  the  three  examples  shown  in  Fig.  10,  are  sufficiently 
described  in  their  proper  connections. 


rrx 


Fig.  10.     Minor  Wall  Opening*. 

a    Represents  the  tau-shaped  opening  most  common  in  Palenque;  it  is  seldom  more  than  20 

inches  in  height. 
b    \s  a  window-like  opening  some  6  or  7  feet  in  height,  occurring  in  partition  walls  only,  in 

Palenque. 
c    Is  the  usual  form  of  perforation  in  Yucatan.    It  is  from  6  to  12  inches  in  height,  and  often 

roughly  constructed. 

Columns  and  Pillars.  Developing  pari  passu  with  the  door- 
waj'S  and  arches  we  have  a  great  variety  of  pillars  and  columns. 
The  American  column,  in  the  nature  of  things,  exhibits  certain 
parallelisms  with  the  columns  of  the  eastern  continent,  but  in 
all  departures  from  the  most  elementary  treatment  and  use  it  may  be 
said  to  be  characteristically  American.  Square  columns,  most 
numerous  in  Chichen,  are  well  illustrated  in  PI.  XVI,  and  pillars  or 
piers,  typically  developed  in  Palenque,  were  usually  simple  in  form 
though  often  embellished  with  elaborate  sculptures  or  plastic  designs 
in  low  relief,  whilst  the  round  column  had  advanced  beyond  the 
more  elemental  form  with  its  shaft  and  simple  cap,  and  was  given,  in 
whole  or  in  part,  varied  and  remarkable  life  forms,  the  feathered 
serpent  being  the  favorite  motive  embodied.  Among  the  most 
striking  features  of  the  great  buildings  of  Chichen-Itza  are  the 
massive  serpent  columns,  and  on  the  Island  of  Cozumel,  in  a 
diminutive  temple,  the  life-sized  figure  of  a  human  being  or  man-like 
ape  is  sculptured  in  high  relief  against  the  face  of  the  column. 

Columns  were  usually  assembled  in  pairs,  where  introduced  into 


46  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

doorways  to  support  the  entablature,  but  appeared  in  groups  and  rows 
numbering  scores  or  hundreds  where  extended  facades  or  large  roof 
areas  were  supported.  Few  specimens  are  monolithic,  save  in  the 
east,  as  at  Cozumel,  where  the  size  was  reduced  to  a  minimum  and 
the  available  stone  was  perhaps  more  than  usually  massive.  The 
proportions  are  considerably  varied,  but  all  are  short  and  heavy. 
The  diameter  is  to  the  height,  approximately,  as  i  to  3^.  The  square 
column  is  always  built  up  of  a  number  of  heavy  blocks. 

The  round  column  had  become  such  a  familiar  feature  of  the 
building  art  that  it  was  employed  outside  of  its  normal  range  of 
functions,  appearing  very  frequently  in  the  field  of  pure  embellish- 
ment. In  many  of  the  Yucatec  buildings  it  was  used,  on  a  reduced 
scale,  to  decorate  the  facades,  where  it  was  effectively  introduced  in 
moldings  and  friezes,  forming  long  rows  set  in  contact  side  by  side. 
Generally  the  form  was  rounded  only  in  front,  while  the  back  was 
flat  or  uneven  and  set  in  mortar.  The  form  was  varied  in  cases  by 
formal  moldings  encircling  the  shaft,  giving  the  effect,  in  a  simple 
way,  of  our  turned  balusters. 

The  genesis  of  the  stone  column  would  seem  to  be  easily  made 
out,  as  prototypes  are-  found  in  the  wooden  and  stone  roof  supports 
employed  in  most  primitive  structures.  The  association  with  it  of 
animal  forms  may  perhaps  be  satisfactorily  explained  on  the  as- 
sumption that  the  figures  or  monsters  embodied  represent  the 
divinities  associated  with  the  temple  of  which  the  column  formed  a 
conspicuous  part.  This  association  is  in  marked  contrast  with  the 
more  rational  use  of  vegetal  forms  by  the  Egyptians  and  Greeks, 
though  animal  forms  and  figures  of  men  and  women  were  occasionally 
used  in  those  countries.  The  association  of  animal  forms  with 
portals  and  columns  was  more  common  in  the  far  East.  It  is 
notable  that  the  round  column  was  more  generally  and  freely  used 
in  eastern  Yucatan,  as  on  Cozumel  Island,  at  El  Meco,  Chichen,  and 
Ake,  than  elsewhere.  At  Uxm^l  I  saw  no  compound  doorways  and 
hence  no  portal  columns,  and  in  fact  no  columns  of  any  kind,  and  at 
Palenque  heavy  flattish  pillars,  mere  sections  of  the  perforated  wall, 
take  their  place. 

The  drawing  of  a  column,  introduced  as  a  frontispiece  to  this 
paper,  PI.  I,  is  made  up  from  portions  of  two  examples  preserved 
in  Chichen-Itza.  The  close  likeness  of  all  the  remnants  of  this  class 
found  here  makes  it  apparent  that  the  type  was  well  estab- 
lished and  uniform  in  fundamental  features,  so  that  a  composite 
derived  from  two  or  more  specimens  may  give  a  very  correct  notion 
of  this  remarkable  feature  of  the  Chichen  temples.  The  head,  or 
base,  is  drawn  from  a  well-preserved  specimen  in  the  Temple  of  the 


Dec.   1895.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  47 

Tigers,  Gymnasium  group,  and  the  shaft  and  capital — the  body  and 
tail  of  the  serpent — are  drawn  from  this  and  from  specimens  sup- 
porting the  entablature  at  the  eastern  entrance  of  El  Castillo.  The 
position  of  these  columns  in  the  temples  is  fully  described  and  illus- 
trated in  the  accompanying  pages.  The  massive  head,  projecting 
forward  at  the  side  of  the  portal,  almost  meets  the  upper  end  of  the  bal- 
ustrade of  the  stairway,  which  also  terminates  in  a  similar  head  at  the 
base  below.  The  extended  tongue,  preserved  in  several  cases,  is 
two  feet  or  more  in  length  and  is  made  of  a  separate  piece  of  stone 
fixed  in  the  end  of  the  lower  jaw  by  means  of  a  tenon.  The  attitude 
of  the  head  is  indicative  of  alertness  and  ferocity,  the  mythic  monster 
being  strongly  characterized.  The  mouth  is  open,  showing  fangs 
above  and  below  and  rows  of  teeth  at  the  sides.  There  are  also 
characteristic  palate,  throat  and  tongue  markings.  A  coiled  ap- 
pendage issues  from  each  corner  of  the  mouth  and  rests  against  the 
jaw  —  a  feature  seen  in  many  of  the  sculptured  monsters  of  this  and 
other  sections  of  Mexico.  The  nostrils  are  forcibly  suggested  and 
the  eye  is  especially  characteristic  of  the  rattlesnake.  Trie  eyeballs, 
in  one  case  at  least,  were  made  of  white  polished  sea  shell.  The 
pupil  was  probably  painted  black  or  formed  of  some  dark  material 
set  into  its  place  with  c'ement.  An  eye  socket,  seen  in  an  example 
in  the  Temple  of  the  Tables,  is  ten  inches  long.  The  head  is  en- 
tirely covered  with  neatly  sculptured  scales.  The  body  or  shaft  is 
short  and  thick  and  formed  of  two  sections  of  stone  aside  from  the 
base  section.  It  is  elegantly  finished  in  low  relief,  the  sculpturings 
representing  bands  of  feathers  above  (exterior  surface  of  the  column), 
and  characteristic  ventral  markings  beneath  (inner  surface  of  the 
column.) 

The  capstone  is  the  tail  of  the  serpent,  which  turns  abruptly  out, 
extending  beyond  the  lintel,  and  terminates  in  a  somewhat  blunt  point, 
not  preserved,  however,  in  any  of  the  principal  examples,  as  the 
falling  of  stones  from  the  facades  above  have  broken  it  away.  It  is 
my  impression,  formed  from  a  study  of  various  serpent  sculptures, 
that  the  tip  of  the  tail  was  given  its  characteristic  rattle  markings. 
The  inner  part  of  this  caudal-capital  is  rounded  to  conform  to  the 
curve  of  the  column,  as  seen  in  the  Castillo  examples,  and  strangely 
enough,  contains  reliefs  of  a  row  of  dwarfish,  bearded  Atlantean  figures 
in  elaborate  costume,  placed  in  the  attitude  of  supporting  the  lintels. 
It  is  probable  that  I  have  erred  in  carrying  the  outer  of  the  two 
figures,  shown  in  the  plate,  so  far  beyond  the  front  margin  of  the 
lintel,  as  the  idea  plainly  was  that  these  figures,  four  of  which  remain 
in  one  case,  should  appear  as  supporters  of  the  superstructure  and 
not  merely  as  decorations.     The  general  shape  of  the  outer  extremity 


48  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

of  the  tail  is  probably  correctly  given  in  the  example  illustrated  in 
Fig.  40,  though  it  is,  I  believe,  unsculptured;  possibly  it  was  un- 
finished. Portions  of  the  lintel  timbers  and  entablature  above  are 
shown  in  section,  and  the  relation  of  these  features  with  the  corridor 
and  facade  is  shown  in  several  subsequent  cuts,  as  for  example  in  Fig.  31. 

The  dimensions  of  the  columns  utilized  in  this  reconstruction 
are  about  as  follows:  The  head  (base)  of  the  Temple  of  the  Tigers 
example  is  7  feet  4  inches  long  and  about  4  feet  wide  at  the  muzzle 
and  4  feet  high.  The  height  of  the  remnant  of  body  (shaft)  as  it 
stands  is  7  feet  7  inches.  The  whole  height,  if  it  is  allowed  that  one 
shaft  stone  and  the  cap  are  missing,  was  close  to  10  feet.  The  diam- 
eter of  the  body  or  shaft  I  failed  to  secure,  but  it  is  not  far  from  36 
inches.  The  EI  Castillo  column,  used  in  completing  the  upper  part 
of  the  drawing,  is  not  so  large.  The  diameter  of  the  shaft  is  25 
inches  and  the  full  height  to  the  lintel  7  feet  9  inches.  The  strik- 
ing character  of  the  Chichen  temple  portal  and  its  columns,  before 
mutilation  took  place,  is  indicated  in  Fig.  9.  When  in  a  perfect 
state  of  preservation  and  appropriately  colored  it  must  have  present- 
ed a  very  effective  and  handsome  appearance. 

The  Arch.  The  Maya  arch  presents  a  number  of  interesting 
forms  and  phases,  all,  probably,  directly  traceable  to  the  more  primi- 
tive forms  of  chamber  spans  or  vaults  in  common  use  all  over  America. 
Among  these  earlier  forms  we  have,  first,  the  beam  of  wood  or  slab 
of  stone  connecting  two  lateral  supports  or  walls  and  forming  part 
of  the  roof  or  serving  to  support  it;  second,  the  single  iean-to,  in 
which  the  parts  are  placed  against  some  fixed  vertical  surface  or  sup- 
port; third,  the  double  lean-to,  where  opposing  parts  are  set  against 
each  other  with  or  without  a  ridge  pole;  and,  fourth,  the  circular  lean- 
to,  in  which  the  parts  form  a  cone  with  or  without  a  central  support- 
ing pole.  All  are  equally  elementary,  and  it  will  be  impossible  to  de- 
termine just  which  varieties  contributed  most  toward  the  develop 
ment  of  the  higher  forms  of  vault  in  use  among  the  Mayas.  There 
are,  however,  but  two  principles  of  construction  involved  in  all  of 
these  spans — the  horizontal  span  and  the  lean-to.  The  latter  is 
never  used  alone  but  occurs  in  combination  with  the  former. 

The  prevailing  form  of  Maya  arch  is  based  on  the  horizontal 
span,  employing  not  single  long  slabs,  but  a  series  of  short  slabs  so 
placed  as  to  bridge  the  void  by  degrees.  A  course  of  stones  is  laid 
along  the  top  of  each  of  the  opposing  walls,  projecting  a  little,  a 
second  course  is  laid  in  like  manner,  and  others  follow  until  by  a 
series  of  offsets  the  sides  have  approached  to  within  a  foot  or  two, 
when  a  course  of  large  well-squared  slabs  is  laid  across,  completing 
the  span. 


Dec.    1895.          Anxient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  49 

In  examples  employing  the  lean-to  principle,  the  construction  is 
the  same  up  to  the  point  of  connecting  the  closely  approximate  walls. 
Instead  of  laying  a  course  of  flat  capstones  across,  two  courses  were  em- 
ployed, set  on  edge  on  the  upper  courses  of  the  walls  and  inclined  to- 
gether at  the  top,  continuing  the  pitch  of  the  walls  and  forming  the 
true  cuneiform  arch.  The  object  of  the  off-setting  is, of  course,  to  reduce 
the  span  of  the  void,  thus  permitting  the  use  of  ceiling  stones  of  small 
size  instead  of  large  and  long  stones  which  were  hard  to  obtain 
and  easily  broken,  or  beams  of  wood  which  soon  decayed.  These 
arches  really  represent  the  emancipation  of  the  Maya  builder  from 
the  thraldom  of  the  wooden  beam.  The  prevailing  variety  was  used 
in  all  forms  of  chambers  and  also  in  certain  large  vaulted  passages, 
as  in  the  Palace  at  Uxmal,  and  occasionally  in  smaller  openings,  as 
at  Palenque,  but  the  flat  span  or  lintel  remained  in  nearly  universal 
use  for  ordinary  doorways.  A  unique  appearing  arch  is  found  at 
Palenque,  the  sides  being  curved  in  such  a  way  as  to  give  a  some- 
what trefoil  effect  to  the  opening.  The  principle  of  construction  is, 
however,  the  same  as  in  the  prevailing  form  of  the  cuneiform  arch, 
the  profile  being  curved  instead  of  straight. 

It  is  evident  that  considerable  difficulty  was  experienced  in 
carrying  up  the  long  slopes  of  the  larger  vaults,  and  the  high  angle 
adopted  was  one  means  of  lessening  the  tendency  to  collapse.  The 
projecting  stones  were  largely  held  in  place  by  the  masonry  of  the  body 
of  the  wall,  which  was  carried  up  at  the  same  time,  but  even  this,  espe- 
cially in  cases  where  the  outer  surface  was  also  inclined,  could  not  have 
prevented  the  frequent  falling  of  the  work  when  approaching  the 
apex.  In  meeting  this  difficulty  it  was  a  common  practice  to  use  tim- 
bers— generally  poles  of  medium  or  small  size — which  were  placed 
across  and  built  into  the  masonry  as  it  rose,  holding  the  walls  apart. 
These  beams  are  preserved  in  hundreds  of  cases  and  nearly  every  vault 
shows  by  its  numerous  beam  sockets  that  this  device  was  extensively 
relied  upon.  I  believe  the  theor}^  is  advanced  by  some  writer  that  a 
core  of  masonry  was  first  built  of  the  proper  shape,  and  the  vault 
constructed  over  it.  I  doubt  if  the  numerous  examples  of  masonry- 
filled  apartments  observed  are  satisfactory  proof  of  this,  but  a  care- 
ful examination  of  the  surface  finish  in  a  room  so  filled  might  readily 
settle  the  question. 

In  Fig.  II  I  present  sketches  of  six  examples  of  the  Maya  arch. 
These  do  not  cover  the  entire  ground,  but  others  so  far  as  I  have 
seen  are  merely  variations  of  the  two  prevailing  types,  shown  in  a 
and  b,  the  first,  terminating  above  in  two  rows  of  inclined  slabs,  form- 
ing the  apex, and  the  second  closed  with  a  course  of  horizontal  slabs. 
The  former  is" seen  in  Chichen-Itza,    but  is    rare  elsewhere,   and  the 


50  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

latter  was  almost  universally  used  in  chamber  vaults.  The  specimen 
shq,wn  in  c  differs  from  /.-  only  in  having  the  corbellate  or  offset  mar- 
gins of  the  stones  dressed  with  the  slope,  making  a  plane  surface. 
That  given  in  ^/ is  identical  with  the  preceding,  save  that  its  inclined 
faces  are  slightly  curved;  it  is  the  form  sometimes  used  in  the  portal 
vaults  which  open  through  one  or  more  of  the  buildings  of  a  quad- 
rangular group  communicating  with  the  court.  It  is  seen  also  in 
chamber  vaults,  in  bridges  and  aqueducts.  The  fifth  example  e  is 
also  a  portal  vault  t3^pically  developed  in  the  Governor's  Palace, 
Uxmal;  indeed  I  cannot  say  that  other  illustrations  are  known.  The 
slopes  are  long  and  it  is  probable  that  they  were  intended  to  be 
straight  though  now  considerably  warped,  possibly  by  sagging.  The 
sixth  specimen  /,  is  the  trefoil  arch  of  the  Palace  in  Palenque,  which 
is  the  most  ambitious  attempt  at  arch  elaboration  in  America,  and 
shows,  in  connection  with  kindred  wall  perforations  in  the  same 
building,  an  up-hill  struggle  of  the  aesthetic  in  a  field  where  construc- 
tion was  only  blindly  feeling  its  way. 

The  arch  was  rarely  emplo3'ed  in  ordinar}-  doorways,  exterior  or 
interior,  the  few  cases  at  Palenque  being  exceptional.  The  flat  form 
of  opening  was  preferred  because  the  prolonged  apex  of  the  cunei- 
form arch  led  to  troublesome  complications  with  the  interior  vaults, 
as  well  as  with  the  exterior  medial  moldings  and  the  ornamented 
zone  of  the  entablature. 

It  ma}-  be  added  that  in  numerous  cases  all  four  walls  of  the 
chamber  are  made  to  approach  toward  the  apex  of  the  vault,  thus 
more  thoroughly  distributing  the  thrust  of  the  superincumbent 
masonry. 

The  j\Iaya  builder  did  not  often  essay  to  construct  his  arch  over 
a  space  more  than  twelve  feet  wide,  though  in  the  loftier  buildings  a 
much  greater  span  was  possible  even  with  the  ordinar}^  pitch  of  the 
opposing  walls.  The  average  incline  appears  to  be  about  65  degrees, 
but  occasional  examples  rise  to  So  degrees,  while  others  fall  to  60  or 
even  55  degrees;  the  latter  pitch  would,  however,  give  a  weak  con- 
struction, as  the  outward  thrust  would  be  increased  to  a  dangerous  de- 
gree. A  building  24  feet  high  with  roof  3  feet  thick  would  accommodate 
a  vault  21  feet  high.  If  the  vertical  walls  below  are  carried  up  to  half 
this  height,  which  is  perhaps  not  far  from  the  average  relation  of 
upper  and  lower  spaces,  an  incline  of  65  degrees  in  the  opposing 
walls,  allowing  18  inches  for  the  capstone  span,  will  give  a  vault  g 
feet  in  width,  or  nearly  ten  feet, measured  on  the  floor  level,  as  there 
is  usually  an  offset  at  the  spring  of  the  arch  of  from  3  to  6  inches  on 
each  side. 

In  the  vaulted  passageways  through  the  Governor's   Palace    at 


Dkc,    iHcj^.  Anciknt  Cities  oi-    Mexico — Hol 


MES. 


51 


Fig.   11.     Examples  of  Maya  Arches. 

a.  Section  of  cuii(;iloriii  iircli  with  acute  apex,  Cliichen-Itza. 

6.  Section  of  ordinary  arcli  witli  flat  cajistone. 

£.  Section  of  ordinary  arcli  witii  dreHsed  surfaces. 

d  Section  of  ordinary  arch  with  drcHsed  surfaces  and  curved  sofTit  slopes. 

e.  Portal  arcli  with  lon({  Hlopes,  showing  masonry  of  exterior  facing. 

/.  Section  of  trefoil,  portal  arch  o(  I':iIi-m<|m.- 


52  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

Uxmal  the  incline  of  the  arch  begins  within  a  few  inches  of  the 
ground,  so  that  in  the  long  rise  of  20  feet  or  more,  even  with  the  high 
pitch  of  70  degrees,  the  width  spanned  is  not  far  from  18  feet.  The 
highest  arch  met  with  in  my  own  investigations  is  in  the  outer  annular 
chamber  or  gallery  of  the  Round  Tower  at  Chichen.  The  height  is 
about  24  feet,  while  the  width  is  only  six  feet;  the  pitch  of  the  vault 
walls  is  therefore  unusually  great,  and  the  apex  correspondingly 
sharp.  A  fuller  analysis  of  the  arch  and  its  development  will  be  given 
at  the  close  of  Part  II  of  this  paper, in  connection  with  a  study  of  the 
origin  and  development  of  the  stone  building  art  of  Central  America 
and  Mexico. 

Ornament.  It  is  impossible  to  say  of  the  ornamental  art  of  any 
primitive  people  just  what  causes  have  operated  to  bring  it  into  exist- 
ence, or  what  ideas  underlie  its  varied  phenomena.  We  discover  in 
the  non-essential  elaborations  of  these  ancient  buildings  numerous 
elements  surely  traceable  to  constructive  sources,  but  we  further  per- 
ceive that  most  of  the  motives  employed  in  embellishment  have  their 
origin  in  religion,  that  their  use  in  art  was  first  significant  and  second 
cesthetic.  It  is  probably  safe  to  say  that  in  ]Ma3'a  ornament  nine- 
tenths  of  the  elements  used  are,  or  were,  present  on  account  of  their 
significance,  or  because  of  some  associated  thought,  although  we 
cannot  say  just  how  much  of  the  original  meanings  were  retained  by 
the  advanced  peoples  who  continued  to  employ  them  in  their  build- 
ings. It  is  almost  certain  that  every  life  form  that  entered  into  the 
embellishment  of  temples  and  palaces  was  employed  because  it  occu- 
pied some  place  in  the  mythologic  s\'mbolism  of  the  builders.  The 
serpent,  the  tiger,  the  turtle,  the  bird,  the  monster,  represent  mythic 
conceptions.  Men  were  deities  or  their  representatives  or  were 
depicted  in  scenes  that  relate  to  rites  or  duties  of  a  religious  nature. 
We  may  go  further  and  premise  that  ver}^  many  of  the  pureh"  conven- 
tional designs,  the  scrolls,  the  frets,  the  meanders  and  the  zigzags  had 
meanings,  hidden  to  the  uninitiated,  coming  down  from  their  less 
conventional  phases  of  development.  It  is  prett}'  certain  that  even 
in  the  latest  periods  of  Maya  history  the  various  motives  employed  in 
decoration  were  not  only  significant,  but  that  they  were  not  used  out 
of  their  traditional  or  appropriate  associations,  and  when  we  see  a  life 
form  or  even  a  non-graphic  device  associated  with  a  given  struc- 
ture we  may  fairly  assume  that  it  has,  or  had,  a  special  significance 
and  function  in  that  connection. 

The  housing  of  gods  and  men  is  a  simple  thing  and  requires  little 
more  than  walls  and  a  roof,  but  the  demands  of  symbolism  and 
aestheticism  make  building  a  complex  and  w'onderful  art,  adding 
three-fourths  to   the  labor  and  cost   of  construction,    and   imposing 


Dec.    1895.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  53 

nearly  all  there  is  of  elaboration  or  display.  Symbolism  places  the 
figure  of  a  divinity  at  the  entrance  to  a  temple  because  its  functions 
are  best  performed  in  that  situation,  and  its  sculpture  may  be  of  the 
simplest  kind,  but  the  love  of  display  modifies  the  figure,  introduces 
it  into  the  construction  and  multiplies  it  without  limit,  carrying  it  in 
rows  along  the  walls  and  in  panels  from  top  to  base;  it  heightens  the 
walls  and  adds  lofty  pinnacles  and  crests  to  make  room  for  increased 
display.  Superstition  modifies  the  column  that  supports  the  wide 
entablature  of  the  temple  gate,  making  it  resemble  the  form  of  a 
feathered  serpent,  a  mythic  compound  probably  representative  of  a 
chief  divinity,  but  only  a  well-developed  sense  of  the  beautiful  could 
refine  the  form  and  array  the  folds,  feathers  and  scales  of  the  monster 
in  varied  and  graceful  combinations.  Symbolism  associates  certain 
conventional  figures,  as  the  scroll  and  the  fret,  emblems  of  wind  and 
wave,  with  the  figure  of  the  god  of  water  or  of  the  air,  but  aestheticism 
carries  scroll  work  and  fretwork  over  all  the  available  spaces  and 
multiplies  and  beautifies  the  idols  until  we  have  a  maze  of  varied, 
yet  withal — we  may  assume — ideographically  consistent  embellish- 
ment. Notwithstanding  this  general  consistency,  which  traditioif 
struggles  to  preserve,  the  aesthetic  impulse  was  surely  gaining  ground 
and  little  by  little  overstepping  the  traditional  bounds  and  asserting 
for  itself  the  right  to  make  things  beautiful  at  whatever  cost  to  signifi- 
cance or  traditional  usage.  A  somewhat  detailed  analysis  of  Mexican 
and  Central  American  architectural  ornament  is  reserved  for  the  sec- 
ond part  of  this  paper,  as  the  necessary  illustrations  are  not  yet  ready. 

All  the  sculptor's  work  is  crude  as  compared  with  civilized  art, 
but  it  is  virile  and,  to  my  mind,  full  of  promise  of  higher  achieve- 
ment. Portrait  sculpture  was  probably  not  practiced,  or  if  attempted 
the  form  of  expression  was  so  conventional  as  to  rob  the  repre- 
sentation of  marked  individuality.  Sculpture  found  its  subjects 
almost  wholly  within  the  animal  kingdom,  and,  though  we  observe 
that  species  were  portrayed  with  some  degree  of  truth,  it  is  apparent 
that  with  creatures  as  with  human  beings,  mythic  characters  were  of 
more  importance  to  the  sculptor  than  the  realistic. 

Graphic  art  seems  to  have  covered  pretty  much  the  whole 
field  of  nature  and  art,  presenting  men,  animals,  plants  and 
nature  generally  with  rude  vigor.  Extensive  subjects  in  bright  col- 
ors, covering  the  walls  of  some  of  the  chambers  of  Chichen  include 
village  scenes  and  battle  pieces  strongly  suggesting  the  work  in 
some  of  the  ancient  manuscripts.  There  is  a  lack  of  perspective,  and 
a  mixing  up  of  sizes,  and  the  general  style  of  presentation  is  suggest- 
ive of  that  of  the  ancient  Egyptians. 

Hieroglyphs.     It  is  not  my  purpose  to   attempt  a  study  of  the 


54  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

glyphic  characters,  seen  in  considerable  numbers  in  all  the  principal 
cities.  They  may  readily  be  examined  as  to  their  general  character- 
istics as  sculptured  or  plastic  devices,  but  their  interpretation  is  a 
totally  distinct  matter  and  fraught  with  formidable  if  not  insuperable 
difficulties.  Looking  toward  the  latter  end,  however,  numerous 
students  have  begun  the  work  of  collecting  and  collating  them,  and 
important  results  have  been  accomplished  by  Stephens,  Charnay, 
Maudslay,  Seler  and  Thompson  in  the  field,  and  by  Thomas,  Brin- 
ton,  Forstemann,  Schellhas,  Valentini  and  others  utilizing  mainly  the 
graphic  and  plastic  copies  brought  together  in  libraries  and  museums. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  they  are  representatives  of  a  system 
of  writing,  which,  though  necessarily  in  its  infancy,  was  entering  upon 
the  phonetic  stage.  The  characters  are,  however,  highly  developed 
and  complex  in  their  constitution,  a  single  sign  employing  several  ele- 
ments, and  so  fully  condensed  or  conventionalized  that  the  original 
realistic  characters  are  largely  obliterated.  The  most  strongly 
marked  variation  from  the  typical  "  calculiform  "  figures  is  seen  in 
Uxmal,  where  inscriptions  in  the  central  over-door  decoration  of  the 
Governor's  palace  and  in  the  Temple  of  the  JNIagician  are  less  com- 
pactly grouped,  as  if  more  archaic  in  character,  or  as  if  treated  mere- 
ly as  a  means  of  decorating  the  spaces  occupied. 

At  best  the  sculptured  inscriptions  are  but  brief.  Even  the 
longest  are  limited  to  a  few  hundred  characters,  and  the  highest  pos- 
sible values  of  phonetic  or  ideographic  elements  would  not  enable 
them  to  express  more  than  a  few  brief  statements.  Interpretations, 
if  finally  made,  will  be  exceedingly  interesting,  but  as  historical  rec- 
ords little  can  be  reasonably  expected  of  the  inscriptions.  They  may 
be  names,  titles  or  decrees  of  rulers,  but  more  probably  relate  to 
priestly  matters,  marking  dates  or  indicating  the  nature  of  rites  and 
ceremonies.  They  were  probably  understood  by  the  priesthood 
almost  exclusively,  and  before  the  Spanish  conceived  the  notion  that 
they  were  worth  preserving  the  key  was  lost. 

Technically  considered,  the  glyphic  characters  of  the  several 
Maya  provinces  do  not  differ  greatly  save  as  a  result  of  the  varied 
nature  of  the  materials  in  which  they  are  executed.  Preserved  exam- 
ples are  usually  in  stone,  but  stucco  was  extensively  employed  in  some 
sections,  as  at  Palenque,  and  wood  was  certainly  much  used  through- 
out the  whole  Maya  territory.  As  a  matter  of  course  the  same  forms 
of  writing  were  executed  in  color  on  walls,  parchment,  paper,  etc., 
and  to  a  far  greater  extent  than  in  plastic  methods.  The  sculptured 
figures  are  in  low  relief  where  hard  stone  or  wood  was  used,  and  are 
much  more  boldly  defined  when  sculptured  in  soft  stone  or  modeled 
in  plaster.      In  Yucatan  they  are  very  generally  associated  with  door- 


Dec.    1895.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  55 

ways,  columns  and  pillars,  lintel  faces  being  preferred,  but  they  are 
found  in  various  situations.  At  Palenque  they  are  engraved  upon 
the  heavy  stone  steps  of  the  Palace  courts  and  occur  most  fre- 
quently associated  with  devotional  groups  of  figures  set  into  the 
walls  of  sanctuaries.  The  numerous  stucco  groups  covering  the 
pillars  of  the  temples  are  generally  accompanied  by  a  few  stucco 
glyphs  and  some  of  the  pillars  are  devoted  entirely  to  these 
inscriptions.  The  general  character  and  appearance  of  the  glyphs  is 
shown  in  the  specimen  illustrated  in  PI.  VII.  The  Yucatec  Mayas 
introduced  glyphs  into  their  sculpturings  less  profusely  than  did  their 
southern  brethren  and  the  work  is  less  refined  and  elegant.  There 
appear  to  be  no  very  closely  analogous  forms  of  glyphic  writing  in 
any  other  part  of  the  world. 


56  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 


^    CAPE    CATOCHE. 


CONTOY   I. 


BLANCA    I. 


MUGERES    I. 


^       RUINS. 


//    CANCUN    I. 


COZUMEL    ISLAND. 


Fig.   12.    Sketch  Map  of  the  Shore  and  Islands  of  Northeastern  Yucatan. 


RUINS  OF  EASTERN  YUCATAN. 


The  voyage  to  the  eastern  islands  and  shores  of  Yucatan  was 
looked  forward  to  by  our  party  with  exceptional  interest,  as  the  region 
had  been  but  little  visited  by  students  and  there  was  promise  of  numer- 
ous novel  features  in  all  the  fields  of  observation  and  especially  in 
archeology.  Besides,  it  is  a  land  of  much  reputed  beauty  and  is 
rendered  romantic  by  tales  of  recent  piracy.  The  northern  shore  of 
the  peninsula  is  low  and  monotonous,  and  not  attractive  to  look  upon, 
but  is  said  to  be  dotted  with  numerous  ruins  and  ancient  dwelling 
sites.  These  were  passed  by  with  much  regret,  but  the  time  at  our 
disposal  did  not  permit  of  the  study  of  minor  remains  or  warrant  the 
exploration  of  fields  with  respect  to  which  so  little  was  positively 
known.  Rounding  Cape  Catoche  on  the  2gth  of  December,  we 
reached  the  low  island  of  Contoy^  and  stopped  for  an  hour  to  visit  a 
recent  wreck,  cast  by  the  strong  current  of  the  Gulf  stream  upon  the 
low  reefs  of  the  island. 

MUGERES  ISLAND. 


Next  south  of  Contoy  comes  Isla  Mugeres  or  Woman's  Island,  a 
narrow  strip  of  coraline  limestone  some  five  miles  long  and  less 
than  one  mile  in  width,  generally  low  but  rising  at  the  south  end  into 
a  narrow  promontory  some  sixty  feet  above  the  sea.  At  the  north  it  is 
partially  connected  by  a  line  of  rocks  and  sunken  reefs  with  the  islands 
to  the  northwest.  Our  boat  was  piloted  across  this  dangerous  line  of 
rocks  at  a  point  near  what  is  known  as  Anvil  Rock  and  anchored  in  a 
shallow  little  harbor  on  the  west  side  of  the  island,  fronting  the  vil- 
lage of  Dolores,  an  humble  fisher  settlement  of  some  500  inhabitants. 
The  village  faces  the  harbor  and  extends  back  through  sheltered  and 
luxuriant  groves  of  cocoanut  palms  some  three  or  four  hundred  feet,  to 
the  sandy  ridges  bordering  the  sea  on  the  outer  side  of  the  island. 
The  island  is  skirted  by  ledges  of  sponge-like  and  cavernous  lime- 
stone of  recent  formation,  save  in  and  about  the  harbor  of  Dolores, 
which  is  bordered  by  a  low  sandy  beach. 

So  far  as  we  could  learn  the  only  ruins  on  the  island  worthy 
of  note  are  at  the  south  end,  and  these  were  reached  by  means  of  the 
gasoline  launch,  from    which  we    landed  with   some   difficulty  on    the 

57 


5« 


Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology    Vol.    i. 


rocky  shore  a  little  above  the  southern  point.  The  promontory  is  very 
abrupt  and  is  worn  by  the  heavy  seas  into  picturesque  pinnacles,  cav- 
erns, arches  and  rough  outstanding  masses  of  rock,  as  imperfectly  in- 


Fig.  13.     Sketch  of  the  South   End  of  Mugeres  Island,  showing  Location 

OF  Ruins. 

dicated  in  Fig.  13.  Ascending  the  rugged  bluff  and  skirting  the  cliff 
to  avoid  the  tangle  of  undergrowth,  we  encountered  a  small  ruin  near 
the  margin  of  a  depression  in  the  bluff  about  three  hundred  yards 
from  the  outer  point.  The  fallen  walls  were  overgrown  with  a  varie- 
ty of  cactus  apparently  peculiar  to  the  localit}''  and  described  by  Steph- 
ens as  flourishing  on  the  same  spot  fifty  years  ago.  As  that  explorer 
barely  mentions  the  ruin,  I  present  a  sketch  plan,  Fig.  14,  which 
shows  the  building  to  have  been  a  small  temple  or  shrine,  with  ter- 
raced base  of  eccentric  outline,  ascended  by  two  narrow  stairways 
having  six  or  seven  steps  each.  The  terrace  is  from  five  to  seven  feet 
in  height  and  some  twenty-five  feet  in  length  and  width.  The  ruined 
walls  of  the  minute  shrine  occupy  the  middle  of  the  substructure  and 
are  ten  feet  square,  and  from  three  to  four  feet  in  height.  There  ap- 
pear to  have  been  doorways  on  all  of  the  four  sides.  The  steps  are 
of  cut  limestone  and  are  retained  by  balustrade  walls  level  for  a  short 
.space  at  the  top  and  sloped  with  the  stair  below.  The  masonry  con- 
sists of  irregular  stones  laid  up  rather  carelessly-  in  mortar,  and  the 
faces,  where  not  originally  even,  were  roughly  dressed.  The  whole 
surface  was  probably  evened  up  with  mortar  and  possibly  painted. 

Passing  outward  along  the  grass-covered  promontory,  here  quite 
narrow,  we  reached  the  principal  ruin.  Fig.  13,  and  PI.  Ill,  which  is  a 
prominent  and  striking  feature  of  the  landscape  and  a  valuable  landmark 
to  every  sailor  of  these  seas.  This  temple — for  such  it  may  be  called 
— has  been  about  one-third  destroyed  by  the  sea.  Nearly  four  centu- 
ries ago  the  fleet    of   Cortez   sought  refuge  among   these   islands   and 


Dec.  1895.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico— Holmes. 


59 


Fig.  H.     Ground  Plan  of  Small  Structure  Near  South  End  of  Mugeres  Island. 


m 


% 


m 


^, 


Fig.  15.     Ground  Plan  of  Ruined  Temple  at  South   End  of  Mugeres  Island. 


6o  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

found  upon  one  of  them,  possibly  Mugeres,  numerous  temples  in 
which  the  idols  worshiped  represented  women;  the  name  thus  sug- 
gested has  fixed  itself  upon  this  island.  This  building  was  no  doubt 
entire  at  the  time  of  this  visit  and  it  is  probable  that  there  was  con- 
siderable space  between  the  base  of  the  low  terrace  and  the  sea  cliff 
on  all  sides.  The  destruction  of  the  point  of  the  promontory  appears 
to  be  going  on  rapidly  at  the  present  time,  as  the  waves  break  with 
great  force  from  both  sides  against  the  underlying  beds  of  soft  lime- 
stone, undermining  the  harder  stratum  at  the  top  and  causing  it  to 
fall  in  great  masses  into  the  sea.  The  masses  are  quickly  broken  up 
and  disintegrated  and  deposited  as  sand  along  the  shore.  At  present 
the  remnant  of  the  temple  extends  from  margin  to  margin  of  the  prom- 
ontory, a  width  of  perhaps  forty  feet.  This  distance  will  soon  be 
cut  through,  and  the  outer  point,  which  is  wider  and  extends  some 
sixty  feet  southward  from  the  front  of  the  building  will  soon  be  bro- 
ken down.  It  is  apparent  that  originally  the  plan  was  symmetrical, 
as  shown  in  Fig.  15,  where  the  dotted  lines  indicate  the  portion  lost 
in  the  sea.  It  does  not  seem  unlikely  that  one  hundred  years  from 
now  the  ruin  and  the  whole  point  beyond  it  will  have  forever  disap- 
peared from  view.  That  the  last  fifty  years  have  dealt  kindly  with 
the  structure,  however,  is  apparent  from  a  comparison  of  the  photo- 
graphic illustration  presented  in  PI.  Ill,  with  the  engraving*  given 
by  Stephens  in  Vol.  i  of  his  Yucatan. 

The  terrace  substructure — an  incipient  pyramid — was  originally 
about  thirty  feet  long,  twenty-five  feet  wide  and  four  to  six  feet  high. 
It  is  composed  mainly  of  loose  stones,  with  perhaps  a  little  mortar,  and 
is  faced  with  large  blocks,  some  of  which  have  been  pretty  evenly 
dressed.  Many  of  these  stones  are  large,  one  near  the  outer  south- 
western corner  measuring  five  feet  six  inches  long,  three  feet  six 
inches  high  and  more  than  a  foot  thick.  The  narrow  steps,  five 
in  number,  ascend  the  middle  of  the  south  face  of  the  terrace 
between  heavy  projecting  walls.  The  superstructure  is  set  back 
eleven  feet  from  the  terrace  front  and  about  a  foot  from  the 
other  margins  and  has  all  around  it  a  step  one  foot  high  and  from 
twelve  to  twenty  inches  wide.  The  elevation  of  the  building  and  the 
nature  of  the  masonry  and  exterior  elaborations  are  well  shown  in 
Fig.  16.  By  reference  to  the  plan,  Fig.  15,  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  doorway,  which  is  low  and  narrow,  enters  an  outer  chamber 
or  vestibule  from  which  a  second  door  of  like  character  opens  into  a 
back  chamber  at  a  point  just  opposite  a  low  altar  or  shrine,  a, 
while  side  doors  at  the  right  and  left  admit  visitors  to  the  ends  of  the 

♦Incidents  of  travel  in  Yucatan.    Opposite  page  416. 


Dec.   1895.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico— Holmes. 


61 


o    o 
5'  CO 


62  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

altar.  The  appearance  and  construction  of  the  whole  interior  are 
made  sufficiently  clear  in  the  illustration,  Fig.  i6,  where  the  terrace,  the 
cement  floors  and  the  peculiar  masonry  are  clearly  indicated,  and  the 
walls  of  the  chambers,  the  holes  in  the  wall,  the  wedge-shaped  arch, 
the  wooden  beams  and  the  altar  are  given  in  nearly  their  correct  rela- 
tions and  proportions.  It  is  barely  possible  that  this  altar  is  of  Spanish 
origin,  as  the  conquerors  are  said  in  cases  to  have  forced  the  native 
workmen  to  make  changes  in  their  temples  to  fit  them  for  Christian 
worship. 

The  lintels  are  small,  round  or  partially  squared  beams  of  wood, 
probably  zapote.  There  are  two  over  the  outer  doorway,  three  over 
the  central  doorway,  and  four  over  the  remaining  side  doorway. 
Small  unhewn  timbers  are  set  into  the  masonry  of  the  arch  about 
half  way  up,  as  if  to  steady  it  while  construction  was  going  on,  or  to 
serve  for  suspending  property  or  hangings.  They  were  originally 
eight  in  number;  five  are  in  place  at  the  present  time,  the  left  hand 
front  one  being  restored  in  the  section.  At  the  sides  of  the  doorway 
there  are  rudely  made  anchor  holes  drilled  in  the  stone  and  probably 
used  for  fixing  curtain  cords.  In  the  v/all  over  the  altar  is  a  small 
rude  opening,  and  another  appears  in  the  west  wall.  The  walls  are 
plastered  up  to  the  spring  of  the  arch,  a  height  of  about  4^  feet,  but 
above  this  they  are  rough  and  seem  never  to  have  been  covered. 
The  connecting  stones  of  the  arch  at  the  top  are  slabs  of  limestone, 
exposed  for  about  twenty  inches  in  width,  and  long  enough  to  extend 
some  distance  into  the  masonry  at  the  sides,  thus  binding  the  arch. 
The  roof  is  flat  and  roughly  plastered,  as  are  the  outer  walls.  The 
whole  height  of  the  superstructure  is  about  twelve  feet.  A  little  out- 
building near  the  southeast  corner  of  the  terrace  is  nearly  levelled 
with  the  ground  and  partly  fallen  into  the  sea.  It  is  of  later  construc- 
tion than  the  main  building,  as  the  mortar  is  filled  with  potsherds 
derived  no  doubt  from  the  sand  in  front  of  the  temple.  Meagre  rem- 
nants of  another  building  are  observed  upon  the  brink  of  the  cliff  a 
few  yards  to  the  west  of  this  temple.  But  little  can  be  learned  of  the 
original  nature  of  the  structure. 

The  rocky  floor  of  the  point  in  front  of  the  temple  steps  is  partly 
covered  with  debris  and  soil  which  are  filled  with  potsherds.  The 
ware  in  general  seemed  rather  rudely  made  and  shows  a  coarse,  gritty 
matrix.  The  surface  may  have  been  well  finished,  but  is  nearly  all 
removed  by  weathering.  The  forms  include  vases  of  usual  Yucatec 
outlines  and  manv  rather  elaborate  figurine  or  idol  vases.  Several  of 
the  latter  represent  the  female  form,  a  fact  apparently  confirming 
the  observations  of  the  early  Spanish  explorers  already  referred  to. 
This  pottery  is  identical  with  a  principal  variety  found  on  the  main- 


Pl.  III.     Ruined  Temple,  South  End  of  Mugeres  Island. 


About  one-third  of  the  building,  at  the  right,  has  fallen  into  the  sea,  the  door- 
way having  been  originally  in  the  middle  of  the  facade.  The  cliff  on  the  oppo- 
site side  approaches  within  a  few  feet  of  the  corner  of  the  terrace.  The  masonry 
is  crude  and  roughly  coated  with  plaster.  The  narrow  stairway  is  set  between 
two  massive  buttress-like  balustrades.  The  slightly  sunken  Avood  lintel  is  plainly 
seen,  and  the  crudely  finished,  simplified  moldings  appear  above.  Full  length  of 
building  proper  about  25  feet;  width,  14  feet;  height,  11  feet.  View  from  the 
south  near  the  point  of  the  promontory.  This  and  several  of  the  succeeding  plates 
are  from  photographs  made  by  Dr.  C.  F.  Millspaugh. 


Dec.   1895.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes,  63 

land  of  Yucatan  and  especially  along  the  adjacent  eastern  shore, 
excellent  examples  of  which  are  to  be  seen  in  the  Museum  at  Merida.* 
It  was  observed  that  the  buildings  on  this  island,  although  iden- 
tical in  plan  and  style  with  those  of  the  mainland,  are  of  small  size 
and  inferior  construction  and  give  a  suggestion  of  meagreness  and 
inferiority,  as  if  they  represented  the  mere  outposts  of  Maya  culture-, 
yet  this  does  not  agree  v,7ith  the  Spanish  accounts,  which  make  these 
islands  a  kind  of  religious  centre,  a  Mecca,  resorted  to  constantly  by 
thousands  of  devotees  from  the  mainland. 


ISLAND   OF   CANCUN. 


In  passing  south  from  Mugeres  island  to  Cozumel,  a  halt  was  made 
near  the  north  end  of  the  Island  of  Cancun — which  is  a  long,  low  strip 
of  land  showing  here  and  there  exposures  of  coraline  limestone — to  visit 
some  of  the  numerous  ruins,  said  to  have  been  seen  from  passing 
ships,  crowning  the  sandy  crest  of  the  island.  Taking  the  little 
launch  we  passed  behind  the  island  through  a  narrow  channel,  and 
crossed  a  lagoon-like  body  of  water  to  a  point  perhaps  a  mile  above 
the  southern  extremity  of  the  island.  Here  we  encountered  remains 
so  extensive  as  to  indicate  an  important  settlement.  They  occupy  a 
low,  level  space  some  hundreds  of  feet  wide  between  the  swampy 
western  shore  and  the  high  sandy  ridge  bordering  the  surf-beaten 
beach  on  the  east.  The  spot  is  occupied  by  an  Indian  hut,  apparently 
the  only  habitation  on  the  island,  and  is  rendered  attractive  by  a 
group  of  cocoa  palms  and  patches  of  Indian  corn,  which  occupy  clear- 
ings in  the  dense  undergrowth  that  covers  the  island.  The  buildings 
have  been  quite  numerous  and  apparently  identical  in  character  with 
those  of  the  neighboring  islands  and  mainland.  They  are,  however, 
in  such  an  advanced  state  of  ruin  that  it  was  not  considered  worth 
while  to  attempt  to  describe  or  illustrate  them.  The  cut  stone  of  the 
walls  has  been  largely  removed  for  building  purposes.  There  were 
half  a  dozen  pyramidal  piles  in  the  group,  in  which  well-built  walls 
and  stairwaj's  of  hewn  limestone  were  visible,  and  numerous  round 
columns  were  scattered  about.  Some  of  the  buildings  represented 
were  no  doubt  temples,  but,  judging  by  the  masses  of  debris, 
they  were  not  of  great  architectural  pretensions.  Back  one  hun- 
dred yards  from  this  group  a  somewhat  more  massive  pile  was 
encountered  covered  with  dense  forest.      The  pyramidal  base  is  some 

*I  did  not  happen  to  see  a  paper  by  Stephen  Salisbury,  Jr.,  entitled  "Terra  Gotta  Figures  from 
Isla  Mugeres,"  published  in  the  Journal  of  the  American  Antiquarian  Society  for  April, 
187S,  until  these  pages  were  in  type.  The  ruin  is  well  described  and  illustrated  and  excel- 
lent cuts  of  the  pottery  are  given,  the  data  having  been  furnished  by  Dr.  A.  Le  Plongeon. 


64  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  \'ol.    i. 

sixty  feet  long  by  forty  feet  wide  and  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  high. 
Remnants  of  thick,  rude  walls  on  the  top  indicate  a  structure  not 
specifically  different  from  those  on  INIugeres  island.  An  hour's  ram- 
ble through  the  dense  growth  of  young  forest  and  vines,  and  along  the 
sandy  ridge,  developed  nothing  more  save  a  pile  of  large,  partly  hewn 
stones  near  the  eastern  beach,  opposite  the  group  of  ruins  referred  to 
above. 

ISLAND  OF   COZUMEL. 


The  island  of  Cozumel — see  map,  Fig.  12 — is  situated  sixty  miles 
down  the  coast  from  Cape  Catoche  and  is  separated  from  the  main- 
land by  a  shallow  but  charming  bay  from  five  to  seven  miles  wide.  It 
is  twenty-three  miles  long  from  northeast  to  southwest  and  upward  of 
eight  miles  wide.  It  is  low  and  covered  with  dense  forest,  rendered 
almost  impenetrable  by  tangled  undergrowth.  As  far  as  our  observa- 
tions extended,  the  surface  rises  hardly  more  than  twenty-five  or  thirty 
feet  above  the  sea.  The  geological  formations  consist  of  horizontal, 
heavily  bedded  limestone  of  recent  date,  the  inclosed  fossil  remains 
duplicating  in  many  cases  the  species  now  thriving  along  the  shore. 
It  is  probable  that  the  sand  ridges  of  the  eastern  shore  rise  higher 
than  the  limestones  of  the  western  side,  and  on  the  north  and  south  they 
enclose  considerable  lagoons.  The  island  is  sparsely  inhabited,  con- 
taining less  than  2,000  people,  who  live  in  the  simplest  possible  man- 
ner, content  to  fish  and  raise  chickens  and  to  cultivate  small  fields  of 
corn  and  groves  of  bananas.  They  are  assembled  mainly  in  the  village 
of  San  Miguel,  situated  on  the  inner  side  of  the  island  near  the  north- 
ern end.  Spanish  fishermen  of  Cuba  have  dominated  in  the  district 
for  a  long  time,  and  the  native  Maya  element  is  as  a  result  quite  de- 
generate, and  retains  fewer  traces  of  the  ancient  language  and  customs 
than  in  other  equally  isolated  portions  of  Yucatan. 

The  island  has  always  been  reputed  to  contain  numerous  archi- 
tectural remains  of  importance,  and  the  earlier  Spanish  records  tell  of 
imposing  temples  and  of  worshipers  in  great  numbers.  Ruins  have, 
been  located  b}^  casual  observers  in  various  parts  of  the  island,  but 
little  is  on  record  up  to  this  time.  Stephens  visited  the  site  of  San 
Miguel  in  1840  and  found  the  island  entirely  deserted.  He  examined 
some  ruins  in  the  vicinity  but  attempted  nothing  more.  On  page  373 
of  his  Incidents  of  Travel  in  Yucatan  a  cut  is  given  of  a  well-preserved 
temple  of  small  size,  located  on  the  site  of  the  village.  Two  other 
structures  are  mentioned,  all  of  the  usual  t3'pe.  His  references 
to  the  statements  of  the  first  Spanish  visitors  are  very  interesting, 
and  his  interpretations  are  no  doubt  in  the  main  correct.      The  build- 


Oec.   1895.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


65 


ings  described  by  him  are,  however,  not  to  be  found.  In  front  of  the 
ruins  of  the  ancient  Spanish  church  of  which  he  speaks  at  length 
there  is  only  a  shapeless  mound  to  represent  the  temple  at  that  point. 
Later  the  LePlongeons  landed  at  the  same  spot,  explored  what  re- 
mained of  the  ruins,  and  visited  one  or  two  other  sites  farther  down 
the  island. 

Ruins  at  San  Miguel. — We  had  no  expectation  of  making  a 
thorough  exploration  of  the  island,  as  several  weeks  would  have  been 
required,  but  hoped  to  see  sufficient  of  the  ancient  remains  to  deter- 
mine for  ourselves  their  character  and  relation  to  existing  ruins  on 
the  mainland.  It  is  evident  from  the  large  masses  of  shapeless  de- 
bris in  the  village,  and  especially  near  the  ruin  of  the  old  Catholic 
church,  that  the  ancient  structures  were  of  somewhat  greater  impor- 
tance than  those  seen  on  the  islands  to  the  north,  but  nothing  very 
definite  was  to  be  learned  fromi  them.  About  one  mile  north  of 
the  village  and  a  few  hundred  yards  back  from  the  shore  we  found  the 
ruins  of  two  considerable  structures,  one  a  pyramidal  mass  some  sixty 
feet  long  by  forty  feet  wide  and  twenty-five  feet  high,  with  traces  of  a 
temple  on  the  summit,  and  a  minute,  nearly  obliterated  chamber  with 
small  doorway  of  the  usual  character,  near  the  base  at  one  end.  The 
other  is  a  little  farther  on  and  proved  to  be  of  very  great  interest, 
though  in  an  advanced  state  of  ruin.  The  ready-cut  stone  of 
these  buildings  is  so  much  more  easily  utilized  for  fences  and  building 
purposes  by  the  present  residents  than  is  the  rock  in  place — though 
the  limestones  are  all  soft  and  easily  quarried  along  the  natural  ex- 
posures everywhere  occurring — that  it  is  surprising  to  find  even  these 
remnants  left. 

The  terrace  on  which  the  temple  stands  is  four  or  five  feet  high. 


'!/!!) 


,'!('f 


^<:^. 


«  • 


I) 


Jli 


Fig.  17.     Ground  Plan  of  Small  Temple  at  San  Miguel. 
The  sculptured  column  is  at  the  left  of  the  doorway. 

twenty  feet  in  length  from  north  to  south,  and,  as  nearly  as  can  be  as- 
certained  by   present  exposures,  about  twenty  feet  wide.      The  fac- 


66  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Xol.    i. 

ing  has  been  of  hewn,  or  partially  hewn  stone,  somewhat  irregular  in 
form  but  well  laid  in  mortar.  No  trace  of  a  stairway  is  visible. 
The  temple  was  perhaps  not  over  sixteen  feet  square,  and  contained 
an  outer  room  or  corridor  ten  feet  in  length  by  four  in  width,  and 
two  small  chambers  back  of  it,  one  of  which  was  five  by  seven  feet  in 
horizontal  dimensions — see  Fig.  17.  The  full  height  of  the  rooms 
was  little  more  than  six  feet;  the  walls  are  nearly  two  feet  thick  and 
the  arches  as  usual  are  formed  by  the  gradually  approaching  side- 
walls,  held  together  at  the  top  by  slabs  of  stone  forming  a  narrow  ceil- 
ing. Small  portions  of  the  roof,  constructed  of  stone  and  covered 
with  cement,  still  remain. 

The  distinguishing  feature  of  this  little  temple  is  a  remarkable 
column  which  has  sculptured  upon  its  front  the  large,  ape-visaged 
figure  shown  in  PI.  IV.  This  column,  and  another  plain  one  at 
the  right,  divide  the  wide  entrance  to  the  corridor  into  three  nearly 
equal  openings.  The  sculptured  figure  is  much  weather-beaten, 
and  apparently  battered,  especially  about  the  head  and  face,  and 
seems  rather  to  have  been  intended  for  a  human  creature  than 
an  ape.  It  is  represented  in  bold  relief,  or  practically  in  the 
round,  resting  on  its  knees  and  pressing  against  or  supporting  with 
its  back  the  front  of  the  column.  The  hands  are  held  in  front,  appar- 
ently grasping  the  folds  of  a  garment.  So  far  as  I  can  see,  no  par- 
ticular significance  can  be  attached  to  the  position.  The  figure  is  that 
of  a  female,  and  is  possibly  the  only  remaining  representative,  so  far 
as  discovered,  of  the  idolatrous  sculptures  so  generally  cast  out  of  the 
temples  by  the  Spaniards.  The  figure,  column  and  capital  are 
all  in  one  piece  which  is  of  the  ordinary  porous  limestone. 
Originally  the  surface  was  covered  with  plaster  and  paint.  In  parts 
protected  from  the  weather  as  many  as  six  successive  layers  of  plaster 
are  seen,  each  application  in  turn  having  received  a  coat  of  red,  blue 
or  green  paint,  which  would  seem  to  indicate  a  somewhat  long-con- 
tinued occupancy  of  the  building.  Encircling  the  front  of  the  column 
over  the  sculptured  head  are  painted  or  imprinted  four  red  hands,  a 
feature  occurring  with,  considerable  frequency  in  the  ancient  Maya 
structures.  The  lintel  stones,  two  of  which  remain  in  place,  are  large 
and  evenly  cut  on  the  exposed  sides,  and  these  and  all  the  walls  have 
been  finished,  as  was  the  sculptured  column,  in  plaster  and  washes  of 
color. 

Ruins  of  Cedral.  From  the  harbor  of  San  Miguel  we  sailed 
fifteen  miles  down  the  west  coast  of  the  island  and  landed  at  a 
native  dwelling,  from  which  a  charming  walk  through  the  forest 
Drought  us  to  a  small  village   known  as   Cedral,    three  miles   inland. 


Pl.  IV.     Portal  of  a  Small  Temple,  Island  of  Cozumel. 


This  building  was  not  more  than  20  feet  square  and  10  or  12  feet  in 
height,  and  rested  on  a  squarish  terrace  about  5  feet  high.  The  portal  was  4  feet 
6  inches  in  height,  and  about  14  feet  in  width,  and  was  divided  by  two  round  col- 
umns, one  of  which  is  plain  while  the  other  is  sculptured  to  represent  a  kneel- 
ing figure,  the  face  being  much  battered.  Over  the  head  are  imprints  of  the 
red  hand. 

The  stone  lintels  are  in  place,  though  the  cap  is  lost  from  the  plain  column, 
leaving  one  of  them  only  partially  supported.  Portions  of  the  moldings,  walk 
and  roof  remain.     Photograph  by  E.  H.  Thompson. 


FIELD   COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM, 


ANTHROPOLOGY,  PL.  IV. 


, -;  <  'i^i' z^- 


t,  ~    •  - '    ,■  «jt 


•<rt:' 


Portal  of  a  Small  Temple,  Island  of  Cozumel. 


Dec.    1895.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


57 


Fig.  18.     Section  of  Small  Building  Near  the  Village  of  Cedral, 
CozuMEL  Island. 


xS^^S^ 


Fig.  19.    Archway  in  Quadrangular  Ruin  in  the  Village  of  Cedral, 
CozuMEL  Island. 


68  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

Here  two  fairly  well-preserved  structures  were  encountered,  while 
others,  almost  wholly  destroyed  by  modern  builders,  were  traceable, 
thus  indicating  an  ancient  occupancy  of  more  than  usual  importance. 
In  the  center  of  the  village  is  a  small  temple  resembling  somewhat 
that  on  jMugeres  island,  already  described.  It  occupies  the  margin 
of  an  ancient  terrace  some  five  feet  high,  one  hundred  feet  long  on 
the  front  and  considerably  less  in  width.  Beside  it  on  the  other  margin 
of  the  terrace  is  the  village  church,  a  most  crude,  barn-like  affair 
constructed,  as  are  the  dwellings  of  the  people,  largely  of  poles  set  on 
end  and  bound  together  by  withes,  the  roof  being  thatched  with 
leaves;  its  flimsy  character  is  in  strange  contrast  with  the  massive 
construction  of  the  pre-historic  temple.  The  ground  plan  of  the  ruin 
shows  two  oblong  chambers,  each  about  four  feet  six  inches  in  width, 
sixteen  feet  in  length  and  ten  feet  high.  The  front  room  is  entered 
by  a  centrally  placed  outer  doorway,  now  much  broken  down,  while 
the  inner  room  is  reached  by  a  second  doorw^ay  directly  behind  the 
first.  The  interior  walls  are  six  feet  high  to  the  spring  of  the  arch, 
and  above  this  the  opposite  sides  approach  each  other,  reaching  the 
ceiling  stones  some  four  feet  higher.  The  inner  door  is  four  feet 
six  inches  high  by  two  feet  wide.  The  lintel  stone,  six  inches  thick 
and  three  feet  long,  is  set  back  a  few  inches,  leaving  a  shallow  de- 
pression in  the  front  which  was  plastered  and  is  said,-  by  the  oldest 
inhabitant  of  the  village,  to  have  been  covered  with  painted  figures  or 
glyphs.  The  exterior  walls  and  roof  are  for  the  most  part  well  pre- 
served, and  the  whole  construction  is  uniform  in  character  w^ith  other 
buildings  of  its  class. 

A  similar  structure  containing  but  one  chamber  is  found  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  village.  Near  it  and  on  the  same 
broken-down  terrace,  which  is  perhaps  35  by  45  feet  in  hori- 
zontal dimensions  and  4  feet  high,  are  the  foundations  of  another 
similar  building.  The  standing  templ'e  or  house  is  only  10  b)'  15  feet  in 
dimensions  and  the  single  room  is  about  5  by  g  feet.  The  door,  walls 
and  arch  are  as  usual.  The  section,  Fig.  18,  extending  from  front  to 
back,  indicates  approximately  the  construction.  The  rather  roughly 
laid  exterior  walls  were  plastered,  and  the  surface  varied  by  two 
bands  of  molding,  the  lower  5  feet  from  the  ground  and  the  upper 
at  the  top,  the  whole  height  being  10  or   11   feet. 

That  these  pigm}'  buildings  do  not  fairly  and  fuU)^  represent  the 
achievements  of  the  ancient  people  of  Cozumel  is  amply  proved  by 
the  remains  of  a  group  of  structures  encountered  in  the  southern* 
margin  of  the  village.  Here  we  have  traces  of  probabl}'  four  build- 
ings   arranged    about    a  court    some   100    feet  square.      Most  of  the 

*lt  is  possible  that  the  orientations  here  givea  are  confused. 


Dec.   1895.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  69 

walls  have  been  robbed  of  their  facings  of  cut  stone  and  only  ridges 
of  debris  remain,  but  the  fine  arch  shown  in  Fig.  ig  is  left,  and 
another  of  like  form  is  represented  by  a  mere  skeleton  held  together 
by  matted  roots  of  trees,  the  outline  of  the  arch  appearing  in  wood 
rather  than  in  stone.  The  village  quarrymen  had  but  recently  been 
at  W'Ork.  This  latter  arch  is  on  the  east  side  of  the  quadrangle,  near 
the  north  end,  and  connects  on  the  south  with  a  ruined  mass  in  which 
a  number  of  round  columns  appear.  The  relation  of  the  columns 
to  the  building  cannot  be  determined.  They  are  from  18  to  24inches 
in  diameter  and  stand  about  7  feet  apart,  none  being  above  4  feet  in 
height.  At  the  northeast  corner  of  the  quadrangle  and  separated 
from  it  by  a  few  feet  is  a  ridge  of  debris  6  feet  high  by  20  feet  wide 
and  about  60  feet  long,  which  extends  to  the  northeast.  It  may  rep- 
resent a  structure  originally  connected  with  other  more  completely 
reduced  buildings  encountered  in  this  part  of  the  village.  This  ridge 
is  now  being  used  as  a  stone  quarry  by  the  inhabitants. 

The  better  preserved  arch,  illustrated  in  Fig.  19,  opens  through 
the  northern  tier  of  buildings  near  the  west  corner.  It  is  10  feet 
high  to  the  capstones,  6  feet  wide  and  8  feet  10  inches  through  from 
outer  to  inner  face.  It  is  built  largely  of  uncut  stones  and  has  been 
carefully  plastered  and  pamted.  Little  remains  of  the  walls  or 
buildings  forming  the  southern  and  western  sides  of  the  quadrangle. 
In  the  court  a  little  north  of  the  center  is  a  pile  of  debris  some  4  feet 
high  and  20  feet  in  diameter  which,  no  doubt,  represents  a  small 
temple  or  shrine.  It  is  worth}'  of  observation  that  this  group  of 
structures  exhibits  in  general  the  ground  plan  so  often  seen  in  the 
more  western  states  of  Mexico. 

RUINS  OF  EL  MECO. 


January  2nd  was  set  apart  for  a  visit  to  the  mainland  of  Yucatan. 
The  trip  was  about  five  miles  across  the  bay  to  the  southwest  from 
the  village  of  Dolores,  Mugeres  Island,  and  was  made  in  the  handy 
little  gasoline  launch.  The  morning's  experience  was  rendered  espe- 
cially charming  b}'  the  beautiful  sea,  which  outdid  itself  in  its  marvel- 
ous transparency  and  display  of  brilliant  colors.  Approaching  the 
land  obliquely  little  was  seen  to  break  the  monotony  of  the  low-Ij'ing 
shore  save  a  large  clump  of  foliage,  rising  above  the  even  forest 
line  and  marking  the  site  of  a  considerable  group  of  ruins  called  El 
Meco.  Landing  on  a  low,  sandy  point  a  little  above  the  ruins  we 
skirted  the  shore  for  a  short  distance,  encountering  the  remains  of 
small  stone  structures  partly  buried  in  the  sand.  Passing  over  the 
sand  ridge  which  borders   the   shore,    we  descended  into  a  basin-like 


70  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anihropologv,  \'ol.  i. 

enclosure  formerly  occupied  by  a  small  lagoon,  and  following  a  slight 
path  for  one  hundred  yards  reached  the  forest-covered  buildings. 

The  central  and  principal  structure  is  an  imposing  pyramidal  pile 
almost  wholly  hidden  in  verdure.  From  the  tottering  walls  of  the 
summit  a  superb  view  is  obtained  of  the  iridescent  waters  of  the  bay 
and  the  islands  to  the  east,  as  well  as  of  the  forest-covered  plains  to  the 
west,  but  no  glimpse  could  be  obtained  of  the  numerous  ruins  that  sur- 
round the  pyramid  lying  close  to  its  base.  This  structure  w-as  so  much 
dilapidated,  and  so  obscured  by  clinging  vines,  that  it  took  some  time 
to  secure  a  clear  notion  of  its  character.  It  is  a  stepped  pyramid, 
about  sixty  feet  square  at  the  base,  not  including  the  small  building 
at  the  southeast  corner,  and  about  fort}'^  feet  high.  It  supports  upon 
its  truncated  summit,  which  is  some  thirty-six  by  forty  feet  in  extent, 
a  temple  fourteen  feet  in  height  and  about  twent3^-two  by  thirty  feet 
in  horizontal  dimensions.  The  temple  stands  back  from  the  east 
margin,  leaving  an  esplanade  or  terrace  twelve  feet  wide  in  front, 
while  on  the  other  sides  the  projection  is  not  nearly  so  great.  A  steep 
stairway  ascends  to  the  broad,  eastern  terrace.  The  temple  is  in  an 
advanced  state  of  ruin  on  the  east  front,  but  the  side  and  back  walls 
are  nearly  entire.  The  entrance  was  about  eighteen  feet  wide  and 
was  divided  into  three  openings  by  two  round  columns,  now'  reduced 
to  less  than  one  half  their  original  height.  These  are  seen  in  the 
illustration.  Fig.  20,  a  view  of  the  pyramid  showing  it  about  as  it 
would  appear  from  the  northeast  with  the  vegetation  removed. 
The  interior  is  filled  in  to  a  considerable  height  by  the  debris  of  fallen 
roof  and  walls,  so  that  the  plan  is  not  readily  made  out,  but  there  was 
evidently  a  corridor  in  front,  extending  the  full  length  of  the  building 
and  a  smaller  chamber  behind,  entered  by  a  door  near  the  middle, 
shown  in  the  plan,  Fig.  21.  Portions  of  the  arched  roof  are  still  in 
place  and  remnants  in  the  back  room  indicate  a  depressed,  somewhat 
unsymmetrical,  ceiling.  The  outer  walls  are  separated  at  the  corners 
and  threaten  to  fall  outward  at  an  early  date.  They  are  about  ten  feet 
high  above  the  base  of  the  columns  and  retain  portions  of  the  cornice 
moldings,  which  seem  to  differ  from  the  usual  type  in  having  but  two 
members  instead  of  three,  the  upper  triangular  member  being  absent, 
as  seen  in  Fig.  22. 

As  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  illustration.  Fig.  20,  the 
structure  as  a  whole  is  rather  clums}'  and  unsatisfactory  in  its  lines 
and  proportions.  The  series  of  monotonous  terraces  will  be  better 
appreciated,  however,  when  it  is  observed  that  they  were  probably 
not  a  feature  of  the  original  structure,  but  added  later  for  the  purpose 
of  strengthening  the  vertical  walls  of  the  building.  A  broad  pro- 
jection   extends  all    around  the   base    of   the   temple    proper.       The 


Dec.   1895.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico^Holmes. 


71 


Fig.  20.     Pyramid-Temple  with  Two  Inferior  Structures  at  Base. 

El  Meco,  mainland  of  Yucatan  opposite  Mugeres  Island. 


Fig.  21.     Plan  of  Pyramid-Temple,  El  Meco,  Mainland  of  Yucatan. 

a.  Main,  summit  temple. 

b.  Lower  temple. 

c.  Minute  one-room  ouilding 


72 


Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 


exposures  made  by  the  falling  away  of  the  enclosing  terraces  at  the 
northwest  corner,  indicate  that  this  projection  was  probably  the 
coping  or  upper  member  of  the  frieze  of  the  substructure  and  that 
beneath  are  the  other  moldings  and  the  wall  extending  down    toward 


Fig   22.     Section  of  Summit  Temple,  Pyramid  of  El  Meco. 

a.-c.  Terraces  of  abutting  masonry. 

b.-f.  Vertical  wall  of  original  structure  with  usual  moldings. 

d.  Column  at  doorway  of  temple;  cap  and  lintels  restored. 

e.  Probable  profile  of  original  structure,  eastern  wall. 

and  possibly  to  the  ground  level.  The  abutting  terraces  were  so  built 
that  the  projection  at  a  rested  upon  the  upper  surface  of  the  highest 
terrace,  thus  adding  to  the  firmness  of  the  superstructure.  The  posi- 
tion of  the  opposite  profile,  e,  is  of  course  conjectural. 

The  casing  of  terraces  extends  entirely  around  the  structure,  save 
the  space  occupied  by  the  stairway  on  the  east  side,  and  rises  from 
the  ground  in  four  steps,  the  lower  being  about  five  feet  high  and  the 
others  about  seven  feet  each.  The  terraces  vary  from  one  to  two  or 
three  feet  in  width.  The  outer  faces  incline  inward  a  few  degrees  as 
they  ascend  and  are  quite  uneven.  The  masonry  is  crude  and  the 
stones  are  to  a  large  extent  unhewn  and  uneven,  but  the  surface  has 
received  a  coat  of  plaster,  most  of  which  is  now  removed.  The  stair- 
way rises  at  an  angle  of  about  forty-five  degrees,  and  the  rises,  and 
consequently  the  treads,  are  very  narrow.     The  width  is  about  twenty 


Dec.    1895.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  73 

feet  and  the  length  with  the  slope  some  thirty  feet.  It  does  not  rise 
to  the  outer  margin  of  the  upper  terrace,  but  is  set  into  it  so  that  the 
upper  rise  reaches  the  surface  a  few  feet  back  of  the  front.  A  little 
back  of  this  landing  three  or  four  steps,  omitted  in  the  plan,  lead  up 
between  the  columns  into  the  temple  corridor,  an  arrangement  not 
uncommon  in  Eastern  Yucatan. 

I  A  somewhat  inieresting  feature  of  the  pyramid  is  a  temple,  resem- 

bling that  upon  the  summit,  built  against  the  base  between  the  stair- 
way and  the  northeast  corner.  As  seen  in  the  drawing,  Fig.  20, 
there  are  two  columns  a.t  the  entrance,  as  in  the  summit  temple;  there 
is,  however,  but  a  single  apartment,  which  is  twenty  feet  long  by 
seven  feet  wide.  Portions  of  the  roof  masonry  remain  at  the  back, 
and  beneath  is  seen  a  row  of  beam  or  joice  holes,  arranged  in  seven 
pairs;  the  use  of  the  beams,  if  the  ceiling  were  arched,  cannot  readily  be 
made  out.  The  probabilities  are  that  the  roof  was  flat  and  supported 
by  seven  pairs  of  joice  timbers,  as  there  are  no  traces  of  an  arch  against 
the  stairwa}'  wall  at  the  south  end.  The  chamber  is  about  six  feet  in 
height  to  the  beam  sockets.  There  was  the  usual  frieze  outside  and 
the  walls  were  neatly  plastered  and  finished  with  a  pale,  salmon-col- 
ored paint,  well  preserved  over  the  greater  part  of  the  surface. 

At  the  southeast  corner  of  the  pyramid  is  a  building,  set  back  a 
few  feet  from  the  front,  which  is  so  minute  as  to  have  been  used  to 
confirm  the  myth  of  a  pigmy  people.  It  is  thirteen  feet  long  by  eight 
feet  wide  outside  and  has  one  end  set  against  the  base  of  the  pyramid. 
The  doorway  enters  from  the  front  and  is  three  feet  high  by  two  feet 
three  inches  wide.  The  roof  is  still  entire  and  the  full  height  of  the 
structure  is  a  little  less  than  seven  feet.  It  is  largel}^  built  of  cut 
stone  and  was  finished  with  the  usual  frieze  moldings.  The  roof  is 
composed  of  a  thick  coat  of  very  hard  cement,  which  is  broken  down 
considerably  at  the  edges.  The  use  of  this  minute  apartment  must 
remain  a  matter  of  speculation.  It  may  have  been  a  lodge  for  priest 
or  guard,  a  storehouse  for  temple  properties  or  supplies,  or  possibly 
a  tomb,  man}'  such  minute  chambers  having  been  used  for  the  latter 
purpose  in  the  pyramidal  bases  of  temples  in  other  parts  of  Mexico. 
A  hasty  examination  of  the  ruins  which  surround  the  pyramid 
indicates  the  existence  of  a  partially  enclosed  court  with  the  pyramid 
in  the  center.  Possibly  there  has  never  been  a  building  on  the  north 
side  facing  the  marsh,  but  on  the  west  and  east  sides  there  have  been 
long  buildings  with  heavy  walls  and  rows  of  round  columns  which 
still  stand  in  many  cases  to  their  full  height — some  six  or  seven  feet. 
These  columns  doubtless  supported  the  roofs  of  the  buildings  which 
were,  in  places  at  least,  thatched,  as  there  is  not  enough  debris 
to  indicate  the  existence  of  stone  arches.  On  the  south  side  there 
are  a  number  of  ruins,  mostly  of  similar  character  but  apparently  not 


74  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

symmetrical!}'  arranged,  serving  to  enclose  the  court  somewhat  com- 
pletely on  that  side.  In  front  of  the  pyramid  and  twenty  feet  from 
the  base  of  the  stairway  is  the  ruin  of  a  small  temple  or  shrine,  like 
those  seen  on  the  islands,  approached  from  the  east  and  west  by 
steps  four  or  five  in  number.  At  the  southeast  angle  of  the  court,  and 
connected  with  the  main  eastern  ruin,  is  the  base  of  a  temple  with 
several  rooms,  and  a  stairway  the  sides  of  which  were  finished  with 
serpent  balustrades,  the  large  heads  resting  on  the  ground  as  in  some 
better  known  Yucatec  examples.  We  were  informed  that  other  ruins 
are  scattered  through  the  forest,  indicating  a  settlement  of  import- 
ance, but  there  was  no  time  to  search  for  them.  This  ruin  was  visited 
by  the  Le  Plongeons  a  few  years  ago,  but  nothing  has  been  published, 
so  far  as  I  have  learned,  save  a  mere  mention  in  "Here  and  There 
in  Yucatan,"   by    Mrs.  Le  Plongeon. 

In  character  and  appearance  El  Meco  does  not  seem  to  differ 
essentially  from  many  similar  ruins  in  Yucatan.  The  builders  were 
doubtless  one  of  the  numerous  Maya  tribes  that  occupied  the  penin- 
sula on  the  arrival  of  the  Spaniards.  It  is  remarked,  however,  that 
the  buildings  seem  to  have  been  of  rather  inferior  size,  construction 
and  finish,  as  if  the  materials  were  less  easily  utilized  and  worked 
than  in  other  places,  or  that  the  people  were  inferior  or  provincial, 
living  beyond  the  immediate  influence  of  the  great  culture  centers. 
It  may  be  noted  that  the  front  of  the  temple  faces  east,  and 
that  from  the  head  of  the  stairway  the  little  temple  on  the  southern 
end  of  Mugeres  island  is  distinctly  in  view.  The  stone  used  in  con- 
struction was  probably  obtained  from  the  immediate  vicinity,  and  was 
very  largely  of  uncut  masses  and  fragments  set  in  mortar  and  evened 
up  by  plastering.  Considerable  cut  stone  was  used  in  cornices,  cor- 
ners of  walls,  door  facings,  lintels,  stairways,  and  especially  in  the 
numerous  round  columns.  These  latter  w^ere  often  composed  of  a 
single  piece  twenty  to  twenty-four  inches  in  diameter  and  six  or  seven 
feet  in  length.  Their  presence  implies  rather  extensive  quarrying  of 
the  limestone  in  place,  as  loose  masses  of  surface  rock  of  large  size 
must  have  been  rather  rare  along  this  low-lying  shore.  A  few  other 
ruins  of  considerable  importance  are  reported  along  the  eastern 
shore,  and  others  are  scattered  over  the  interior  regions,  but  no  group 
of  remains  of  first-class  importance  has  been  reported  in  the  north- 
eastern angle  of  the  peninsula. 


Dec.    1895.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  75 

RUINS  OF  TULOOM. 


The  most  important  group  of  ruins  on  the  east  coast  of  Yucatan, 
so  far  as  the  remains  have  been  reported,  is  that  known  as  Tuloom. 
It  is  situated  on  a  high  bluff  overlooking  the  sea,  some  twenty-five 
miles  southwest  of  San  Miguel,  the  main  settlement  of  the  island  of 
Cozumel.  It  was  visited  by  Stephens  in  1840,  and  he  has  given  us  the 
only  available  account*  published  up  to  date.  This  place  must  have 
been  an  important  stronghold  of  the  ancient  Mayas,  although  it  was 
not  visited  by  the  early  Spaniards  so  far  as  our  records  show.  It  is  a 
remarkable  circumstance  that  this  place  is  held  to-day  by  a  Maya 
tribe  which  has  never  been  permanently  subdued  by  the  Spaniards  or 
Mexicans,  and  which  now  holds  it  as  an  outpost,  being  at  war  with 
the  Mexican  Government  and  with  all  intruders  whatsoever  their 
nationality.  At  the  time  of  our  visit  to  Cozumel  there  were  special 
symptoms  of  hostility,  and  the  sub-chief,  to  whom  the  Tuloom  district 
was  intrusted  by  the  principal  chief,  whose  headquarters  are  some 
distance  inland,  had  recently  been  summarily  executed  for  permitting 
trade  between  his  people  and  the  inhabitants  of  Cozumel.  It  was 
natural,  therefore,  when  the  leading  citizen  of  Cozumel,  Don  Pedro 
Perez,  assured  us  that  we  would  certainly  be  fired  upon  by  the  hos- 
tiles  if  we  attempted  to  land,  that  the  project  of  studying  this  ruin 
was  abandoned.  As  the  sail  across  the  bay  from  the  southern  point 
of  Cozumel,  where  we  had  work  to  do,  was  such  a  short  one,  we 
decided  to  take  a  look  at  the  ruin  from  the  sea,  and  were  well  repaid 
for  the  few  hours  consumed  in  the  trip.  The  accompanying  sketch. 
Fig.  23,  made  from  the  deck  of  the  Ituna,  will  give  a  somewhat  vivid 
idea  of  the  remarkable  ruin  and  its  novel  and   picturesque  situation. 

As  we  sailed  to  the  southward,  keeping  as  near  the  shore  as  the 
depth  of  the  water  would  permit,  the  low  line  of  bluffs  increased  in  bold- 
ness and  we  soon  came  in  sight  of  a  series  of  somewhat  isolated  ruins 
whose  light-colored  walls  were  clearly  defined  against  the  dark-green 
forest  of  the  seaward  slopes.  At  the  left  was  Tuloom,  Fig.  23.  The 
promontory  on  which  it  stands  comes  well  forward  into  the  sea. 
Rising  to  a  height,  in  places,  of  perhaps  one  hundred  feet,  is  an  irregu- 
lar bluff  deeply  scarified  and  undercut  by  the  sea.  In  other  places  it 
is  lower,  and  to  the  north  and  south  it  disappears.  The  rock  seems 
to  be  the  same  massive,  brownish,  porous  limestone,  encountered  else- 
where along  this  coast,  and  breaks  down  in  great  irregular  masses 
which  lie  at  the  base  of  the  cliff  until  eaten  up  by  the  waves.  From 
the  crest  of  the  cliff  a  steep,  wooded  slope  reaches  back  and  up  one 
hundred  feet  or  more  to  the  upland.      Midway  in  this  slope  and  partly 

*  Stephens'  Incidents  of  Travel  in  Yucatan,  Vol.  I,  p.  390. 


76 


Field  Columbian  Museum— Anthropology,  Vol.   i. 


-9^0 


Dec.   1895.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


77 


V. 


1/    J    /.; 


78 


Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 


buried  in  the  forest  is  the  main  ruin  of  Tuloom.  The  building  faces 
inward  and  the  broad  outer  walls,  which  are  all  that  can  be  seen  from 
the  water,  are  extremely  monotonous,  being  without  doors  or  windows, 
and  without  decoration  save  perhaps  the  cornice  moldings,  which  were, 
however,  not  clearly  made  out.  The  central  building  appears  to  have 
two  stories,  the  lower  having  wings  of  equal  height  projecting 
at  the  right  and  left.  The  central  structure  is  squarish  in  form 
and  well  preserved,  and  is  crowned  by  a  pyramid  of  vegetation  which 
flourishes  upon  the  roof.  This  is  the  temple  described  and  illustrated 
by  Stepliens.  We  were  extremely  loth  to  turn  our  backs  upon  these 
monuments  without  a  closer  view,  for  they  evidently  represent  the 
most  important  Maya  city  east  of  Chichen-Itza.  Occupying  corre- 
sponding, though  less  prominent  situations  in  the  face  of  the  seaward 
slopes,  are  three  other  ruins,  apparently  all  important  structures,  one 
appearing  upon  the  bluff  next  north  of  Tuloom.  and  the  other  two, 
rather  close  together,  a  mile  or  more  up  the  shore. 


A  MuGEREs  Column,   Island  of  Cozumel. 


RUINS  OF  MIDDLE  NORTHERN  YUCATAN. 


MOUNDS   AT   PROGRESO. 


The  geological  history  of  Yucatan  has  been  but  little  studied. 
The  exposed  formations  are  all  of  comparatively  recent  age  as  indi- 
cated by  the  fossil  remains  which  represent  mainh'  late  pliocene  or 
early  pleistocene  forms,  many  species  being  identical  with  those  now 
living  along  the  shores.  The  physical  characters  of  the  surface  are 
peculiar  and  serve  also  to  indicate  a  recent  elevation  of  the  land  area 
above  the  sea  level.  The  northern  margin  of  the  peninsula  is  very 
low,  the  strata  sloping  at  a  gentle  angle  to  the  north  and  passing 
gradually  beneath  the  sea.  The  coasts  consequentl}'  exhibit  few  out-" 
crops  of  the  rock,  and  are  bordered  by  sand-bars  enclosing  narrow, 
marginal  lagoons.  At  Progreso  the  lagoon  is  a  salt  marsh,  now  grad- 
ually filling  up.  so  that  the  space  will  soon  be  permanently  added  to 
the  land  area.  The  face  of  the  country  is  composed  of  rough-sur- 
faced beds  of  limestone  only  partly  covered  with  soil,  and  at  Merida, 
twenty-five  miles  inland,  the  elevation  is  only  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet 
above  the  sea. 

Progreso  is  built  on  a  sandbar  rising  ten  or  twelve  feet  above  high 
tide.  The  spot  appears  to  have  been  extensively  occupied  by  the 
ancient  peoples,  and  a  number  of  low  mounds  composed  of  midden 
refuse  and  the  debris  of  habitations  are  still  to  be  seen  about  the  out- 
skirts of  the  village.  Just  back  of  the  railway  station  and  on  the  edge 
of  the  marsh  are  two  of  these  mounds,  each  several  hundred  feet  in 
horizontal  extent  and  rising  to  a  height  of  five  or  six  feet.  They  are 
composed  largel}-  of  dark  earth,  which  is  filled  with  countless  sea 
shells — the  kitchen  refuse  of  a  community  that  must  have  subsisted 
very  largely  upon  the  products  of  the  sea.  There  are  also  great  quan- 
tities of  earthenware  displaying  all  the  varieties  of  material,  shape 
and  decoration  characterizing  the  ancient  Maya  work.  There  are 
stone  implements  as  well,  which  include  hammerstones,  sledges  and 
objects  of  flaked  flint  and  limestone. 

Just  beyond  the  western  limits  of  the  village  of  Progreso  there 
are  other  mounds  of  like  character  and  contents,  and,  indeed,  it  may 
be  said  that  such  occur  all  along  the  northern  shores  of  Yucatan. 
Not  only  are  the  coast  lines   supplied  with  these  and  analogous  re- 

79 


8o  Field  Columbian   Museum— Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

mains,  but  the  whole  surface  of  the  country  is  dotted  with  mounds 
and  p\'ramids,  many  of  which  are  visible  in  the  fields  from  railway 
trains  and  roads.  A  few  only  have  been  visited  by  students,  while 
thousands  of  others,  hardly  inferior  in  interest,  have  been  passed  by 
and  remain  today  untouched  save  by  the  plow,  the  cpiarryman's 
sledge  or  the  pick  of  the  treasure  hunter. 

The  capital  of  Yucatan,  Merida,  is  situated  on  the  site  of  the  an- 
cient city  of  Tiho,  and  there  may  still  be  seen  one  great  mound  and 
a  number  of  low  ones  that  represent  ancient  pyramids  and  temples. 
It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  dwelling  of  our  archeologist  asso- 
ciate, Mr.  Thompson,  is  located  upon  one  of  these  tumuli. 


UXMAL. 


From  Merida  the  trip  to  Uxmal  is  made  by  rail  south  to  Tikul 
thirty-five  miles,  and  thence  by  volan  coche  over  rocky  plains  and 
across  a  low  range  of  limestone  hills  twenty  miles  to  the  westward. 
It  may  seem  incomprehensible  that  a  student  of  American  antiquities 
should  limit  his  visit  to  one  of  the  grandest  groups  of  remains  on  the 
continent  to  a  single  day.  Having  made  a  long  and  in  large  part  a 
disagreeable  journey,  it  was  indeed  hard  to  have  to  return  after  taking 
a  mere  glance  at  the  wonderful  structures,  but  it  was  considered  dan- 
gerous on  account  of  the  deadly  miasma  of  the  locality  to  remain  long 
at  the  hacienda.  Few  strangers  have  the  temerity  to  make  a  pro- 
longed visit,  and  our  companion,  Mr.  Thompson,  having  spent  a  few 
weeks  here  preparing  models  for  the  Chicago  Exposition,  knew  by 
painful  experience  the  dire  results.  Strangers  are,  of  course,  espe- 
cially subject  to  the  febrile  influences,  but  so  deadl}'  are  the  poisons 
that  it  is  said  no  child  born  on  the  hacienda  has  ever  survived  to  grow 
up  there. 

The  time  spent  at  this  place  by  our  party  was,  therefore,  not 
sufficient  to  permit  more  than  a  most  superficial  examination  of  the 
extensive  remains,  but  many  sketches  and  photographs  were  obtained. 
Descriptions  already  in  print  are  more  detailed  than  I  can  undertake 
to  give,  and  it  seems  that  the  only  way  in  which  I  can  add  materially 
to  the  body  of  published  data  relating  to  the  ruined  city,  is  to  prepare 
a  panoramic  sketch  and  accompany  it  with  brief  descriptions,  thus 
presenting  in  a  single  view  all  the  important  features  of  the  site,  and 
furnishing  a  key  to  the  ruins  easily  utilized  and  sufficiently  detailed 
for  the  ordinary  reader  or  even  for  the  student  who  desires  to  acquire 
quickly  a  comprehensive  idea  of  the  group. 


Dec.    1895.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  81 

The  country  is  for  the  most  part  a  great  forest  covered  plain, 
and  the  horizon  is  everywhere  as  level  as  the  sea,  save  where 
broken  on  the  east  by  a  range  of  hills  crossed  on  our  way  from  Tikul 
and  not  seen  in  the  sketch.  Like  the  most  of  northern  Yucatan,  this 
locality  has  some  of  the  characters  of  a  desert,  for  there  are  no 
streams  or  springs.  In  ancient  times  the  water  supply  was  furnished 
by  cisterns  within  the  city,  or  by  pools  of  water  some  distance  to  the 
west,  which  are  now  filled  up,  save  in  the  wet  season,  with  soil  and 
vegetation,  and  give  forth  the  death-dealing  poisons  for  which  the 
district  is  notorious. 

The  area  covered  by  the  main  group  of  ruins  is  not  large,  prob- 
ably not  much  more  than  half  a  mile  square,  but  scattered  remains 
are  found  beyond  this  limit,  and  the  place  when  inhabited  must  have 
been  extensive  and  important,  and  no  doubt  presented  a  brilliant  and 
imposing  effect.  Though  the  buildings  are  now  much  dismantled 
and  buried  in  deep  forest  save  where  recent  clearings  have  been 
made,  they  are  still  impressive  in  the  extreme,  and  it  is  difficult  to 
realize  that  the  huge  pyramidal  masses,  rising  like  hills  above  the 
general  level,  are  really  wholly  artificial.  It  is  believed  by  some  that 
Uxmal  is  the  most  important  ruined  city  in  Yucatan,  but  it  has  a 
great  rival  in  Chichen-Itza,  and  it  may  not  have  surpassed  in  grandeur 
several  other  cities  not  now  in  an  equal  state  of  preservation. 

There  are  five  great  structures  or  groups  of  structures  that  take 
high  rank  as  specimens  of  Maya  architecture.  These  are  the  Pyra- 
mid-temple of  the  Magician,  the  quadrangle  called  the  Nunnery,  the 
House  of  the  Turtles,  the  House  of  the  Pigeons  and  the  Governor's 
Palace.  They  are  surrounded  by  as  many  more,  less  in  interest  and 
importance  only  because  they  are  in  a  more  advanced  stage  of  ruin. 
In  order  to  present  a  clear  and  comprehensive  panorama,  the  point  of 
view  assumed  is  considerably  above  and  to  the  north  of  the  quad- 
rangle of  the  nuns.  This  point  is  at  X  on  the  accompanying  map 
which  is  placed  with  the  south  at  the  top  to  make  it  accord  better  in 
position  with  the  panorama.  This  map  is  based  largely  on  that  of 
Stephens  and  is  far  from  satisfactory,  but  it  will  serve  to  give  an  idea  of 
the  eccentric  placing  of  the  buildings  and  their  relative  dimensions, 
as  well  as  to  show  some  details  of  their  ground  plans.  In  the  draw- 
ing the  spectator  is  facing  the  south  and  has  the  hacienda  at  his  back 
nearly  a  mile  away;  the  timber  has  as  far  as  possible  been  omitted. 
Great  detail  is  not  attempted  as  photographic  illustrations  of  indi- 
vidual structures  must  be  relied  upon  for  special  studies,  but  a  good 
general  notion  of  the  group  is,  I  believe,  secured.  Few  measure- 
ments were  taken,  and  those  given,  derived  from  various  sources,  can- 
not as  a  rule  assume  to  be  more  than  approximations,  but    they  serve 


82  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

general  descriptive  purposes  quite  well.  It  is  seen  at  a  glance  that 
the  buildings  are  irregularly  placed,  none  of  them  being  exactly 
orientated,  and  few  stand  in  identical  relations  with  the  points  of  the 
compass. 

In  the  foreground  at  the  left  is  the  Pyramid-temple  of  the  Magi- 
cian, A,  with  its  small  court  at  the  right  hand  base.  Connecting 
immediately  with  this  is  the  Nunnery  quadrangle,  B,  occupying  the 
greater  part  of  the  foreground.  Behind  the  latter,  on  the  ground 
level,  are  two  massive  ruined  walls  usually  referred  to  as  the  Gym- 
nasium, C,  and  rising  behind  this  is  a  great  triple  terrace,  on  the  sec- 
ond level  of  which,  at  the  right,  is  the  House  of  the  Turtles,  D,  and 
crowning  the  summit  is  the  Governor's  Palace,  E.  To  the  right  and 
beyond  is  the  serrated  crest  of  the  House  of  the  Pigeons,  F,  over- 
shadowed on  the  left  by  the  massive  pyramid,  G,  and  backed  up  by 
a  temple-crowned  pyramidal  pile  of  inferior  dimensions,  H.  To  the 
left  of  the  House  of  the  Governor  and  beyond  is  a  group  consisting  of 
two  pyramids,  I,  and  on  the  right  of  the  Nunnery  quadrangle,  and 
some  distance  farther  away,  are  other  ruined  masses,  one  onh'  com- 
ing fully  within  the  limits  of  the  picture. 

Certain  features  of  material,  construction,  plan,  elevation  and 
ornament  are  common  to  all,  or  nearly  all,  of  the  buildings,  and  these 
may  be  reviewed  at  the  outset  and  largely  omitted  in  the  descriptions 
of  particular  buildings.  The  stone  used  is  the  pale  yellowish  and 
reddish-gray,  obscurely  marbled  limestone  of  the  locality,  and  was 
extensively  quarried  from  the  massive  beds  somewhere  in  the  vicinity, 
the  sites,  buried  in  the  dense  jungles  and  obscured  b}^  debris,  being 
necessarily  hard  to  find.  No  one  has  undertaken  to  locate  these  quarries 
which  will,  no  doubt,  be  found  to  exhibit  all  the  usual  phenomena  of 
stone-age  manipulation.  The  body  or  hearting  of  the  walls  and 
mounds  is  constructed  of  fragmental  stone  set  in  a  liberal  matrix  of 
whitish  mortar  of  excellent  quality,  made  of  lime  burned  in  the 
vicinity.  The  facings  and  ornaments  are  all  cut  and  sculptured  with 
a  masterly  handling  not  surpassed  where  chisels,  picks  and  ham- 
mers of  iron  and  steel  are  used,  and  the  faces  and  contact  margins  are 
hewn  with'perfect  precision.  Though  the  finish  of  the  surfaces  was  often 
secured  by  means  of  abrasion  or  grinding,  picking  or  pecking  were 
the  main  agencies  employed,  and  the  indents  of  the  tool  are  often  ap- 
parent and  wonderfully  fresh  looking.  The  stones  were  set  in  mor- 
tar, although  in  many  cases  the  joints  are  so  perfect  that  the  mortar 
does  not  appear  on  the  surface. 

The  sections  presented  in  Figs.  25  and  26  indicate  the  average 
construction.  Much  plastering  was  done  and  nearly  all  surfaces,  and 
apparently  even  the  multiferous  details  of   moldings    and  sculptures, 


Dec.   1895.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  83 

were  evened  up  with  white  plaster  in  the  most  painstaking  manner 
and  finished  in  colors  of  several  hues.  The  walls  are  thick,  averag- 
ing perhaps  three  feet,  but  extend  in  one  case  to  nine  feet,  and  are 
approximately  vertical  on  the  exterior  to  the  full  height,  and  on  the 
interior  to  the  spring  of  the  arch.  Outer  faces  are  little  broken  by 
recesses  and  projections,  and  are  only  saved  from  monotony  by  their 
elaborate  ornamentation.  Usually  they  are  divided  nearly  midway,  by 
rigid  moldings  of  prevailing  type, into  an  upper  and  a  lower  zone,  the 
latter  being  almost  always  faced  with  plain  cut  stone,  save  a  narrow 
band  of  ornament  at  the  base,  and  the  former — a  development  of  the 
entablature — is  elaborately  decorated  with  composite  sculptures,  and 
bordered  above  by  the  usual  heavy  band  of  moldings. 

The  course  of  shoe-shaped  coping  stones  served  in  all  cases  to 
retain  the  level,  cement  floor  of  the  roof.  The  corners  of  the  build- 
ings are  square  or  rounded.  There  are  no  windows  or  other  open- 
ings for  air  or  light.  The  doorways  are  confined  to  the  lower  or 
plain  zone  of  the  wall  space  and  are  simple  in  construction  and  finish 
and  of  medium  or  large  size.  They  occur  singly,  the  great  portals 
with  columns  not  being  seen  in  Uxmal.  The  jambs  are  faced  with 
cut  stone  like  that  of  the  walls,  and  the  longer  lintels  are  or  were 
of  zapote  wood  dressed  square  or  partially  squared,  averaging  perhaps 
fifteen  inches  wide,  twelve  high  and  eight  feet  long.  Many  are  well 
preserved  to-da}',  especially  where  protected  from  the  weather,  and 
some  were  covered  with  inscriptions. 

The  plan  of  the  buildings  usually  takes  the  form  of  a  long,  nar- 
row rectangle,  having  one  or  two  ranges  of  rooms,  generally  the  lat- 
ter, and  it  may  be  said  that,  as  a  rule,  there  is  an  assemblage  of  these 
structures  in  groups  of  four  about  a  court,  forming  a  quadrangle.  The 
squarish  temples,  with  specialized  plan,  characteristic  of  Chichen-Itza, 
are  rare  or  absent.  None  of  the  buildings  are  over  one  story  in 
height,  though  the  roof  crests  in  some  cases  give  the  effect  of  great 
elevation.  Nearly  all  are  built  on  terraces  or  pyramids  which  assume 
a  great  variety  of  ground  plan  and  profile. 

The  apartments  are  all  of  good  size  and  height,  and  the  vaulted 
ceilings  are  formed  of  the  usual  wedge-shaped  arch  constructed  of 
horizontally  placed  stones  corbelled  and  bevelled  with  the  slope. 
The  capstones,  the  connecting  stones  of  the  vault,  are  exposed  to  a 
width  of  from  twelve  to  twenty-four  inches.  The  interior  walls  are 
without  features  of  interest  save  numerous  beam  holes,  and  dumb- 
sheave  cord-holders  for  attaching  doors  or  hangings.  Stairways  were 
numerous,  wide,  well  built  of  cut  stone,  and  generally  steep.  A  very 
common  feature  of  the  courts  is  a  standing  stone  or  picote,  as  the 
Spanish  say,  believing  them  to  be  whipping  posts,  and  phallic 
emblems  occur  in  many  places. 


84  Field  Columbian  jNIuseu.m — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

Temple  of  the  Magician.  This  temple  may  well  be  regarded 
as  amongst  the  most  notable  ruins  in  the  group,  and  is  first  to  catch 
the  eye  of  the  visitor  who  approaches  by  the  roadway.  It  stands  at 
the  left  in  the  foreground  of  the  panorama,  the  north  end  facing  the 
observer.  The  steep  pyramid  supports  upon  its  summit  a  ruined 
building,  and  upon  the  western  face,  near  the  top,  is  a  second  struct- 
ure of  remarkable  position  and  appearance.  The  height  of  the  pile 
is  upward  of  eighty  feet,  the  length  at  the  base  about  two  hundred  and 
forty  feet,  and  the  width  nearly  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet.  The 
ends  seem  to  be  somewhat  rounded,  as  seen  in  the  plan,  a  novel  feat- 
ure in  structures  of  this  class.  The  summit  platform  measures  about 
twenty-two  by  eighty  feet.  The  interior  of  the  mass  is  composed  of 
stones  of  varied  shape  and  size  imbedded  in  coarse  mortar,  and  the 
surface  was  faced  with  rough-dressed  stone,  large  portions  of  which 
are  still  in  place.  A  w^de  stairway,  not  in  view  in  the  drawing,  rises 
directly  from  the  roadway  on  the  east  side  at  an  angle  so  steep  that 
the  ascent  is  made  with  difficulty  and  at  no  little  risk.  The  steps  are 
constructed  of  smallish,  rather  roughly  hewn  stones,  originally  well 
laid  in  mortar,  and  probably  evened  up  with  mortar,  but  now  much 
loosened  and  displaced,  though  the  stairway  is,  as  a  whole,  still  in  a 
wonderful  state  of  preservation  considering  the  steep  angle,  and  the 
many  destructive  agencies  that  have  been  at  work  upon  it  for  upward 
of  four  hundred  years.  The  platform  is  narrow  and  shows  vertical 
faces  of  hewn  stone  extending  down  into  the  mass  of  abutting 
masonry.  The  temple  which  crowns  the  summit  is  some  seventy  feet 
long  by  twelve  feet  wide,  and  contains  three  rooms,  the  middle  one 
being  longer  than  the  others.  The  arch-supported  roof  has  fallen  in, 
and  the  walls  are  broken  down  wherever  there  were  doorways.  The 
end  wall  at  the  north  is  completely  destroyed,  while  that  at  the  south 
end  is  nearly  entire.  The  east  facade,  about  one-third  of  which 
remains,  has  been  comparatively  plain,  but  the  west  face,  seen  at  the 
right  in  the  sketch,  though  broken  down  in  the  center,  evidently 
presented  a  most  attractive  appearance.  Extending  around  the  base 
of  the  wall,  save  for  a  short  distance  along  the  north  front,  is  a  band 
of  columnar  ornament.  Above  this  is  the  lower  wall-zone,  plain  at 
the  outer  ends,  and  exhibiting  neat  and  chastely  embellished  lattice- 
work panels  next  the  broken-out  doorway.  The  upper  space  is  rather 
narrow,  and  is  decorated  with  four  panels  filled  with  unique  sculptures, 
the  upper  member  in  each  being  a  mask  of  rare  form.  The  center 
over-door  piece  has  probably  been  elaborate  and  handsome.  The 
medial  and  cornice  moldings  are  of  the  usual  t3'pe.  The  whole  height 
of  the  building  is  about  sixteen  feet. 

The  most  striking  and  unique  feature  of  the  structure  is  a   temple 


Dec.    1895.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico— Holmes. 


iWiMiWifiiP 


ilf~^~^~^^^ 


o 


86  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

built  against  the  north  side  of  the  pyramid,  and  having  its  roof  on  a 
level  with  the  crest  of  the  pyramid.  The  doorway  opens  on  a  nar- 
row platform  from  which  a  stairway,  some  twenty-four  feet  wide,  the 
body  of  which  still  remains,  descended  into  the  court  below.  The 
facade  of  this  temple  is  about  twenty-two  feet  square  and  is  a  most 
ornate  and  vigorous  piece  of  composite  sculpture.  The  large  space 
above  the  doorway  is  occupied  by  a  colossal  snouted  face  or  mask 
some  twelve  feet  square,  worked  out  in  a  wonderful  manner  and  filled 
with  striking  and  unusual  details,  the  principal  of  which — probably  a 
life-size  statue  standing  on  the  snout  and  resting  against  the  fore- 
head— is  lost;  others  are  a  pair  of  tigers,  placed  together  with  outward 
turned  heads,  supporting  the  pedestal  of  the  statue,  and  groups  of 
devices,  resembling  glyphs,  forming  the  cheeks  of  the  mask.  The 
corner  decorations  comprise  smaller  masks,  seven  in  each  tier,  built 
up,  as  in  other  cases,  of  numerous  sculptured  stones,  and  the  sides  con- 
necting the  facade  with  the  sloping  face  of  the  pyramid  are  also  elab- 
orately treated.  The  exterior  wall  surfaces  of  this  temple  is  thus 
entirely  covered  with  these  ornaments — a  rather  unique  occurrence  in 
Maya  architecture.  The  interior  is  entered  through  a  doorway  of 
noble  dimensions  and  stjde,  and  consists  of  two  plain,  oblong  cham- 
bers, one  behind  the  other,  arched  as  usual.  Pilasters  are  placed  at 
the  sides  of  the  doorway,  and  the  lintel  consists  of  three  strong  beams 
of  zapote  wood.  The  accompanying  section.  Fig.  25,  will  assist  in 
understanding  the  construction  of  these  and  other  features  of  the 
monument."^ 

The  nature  and  construction  of  the  lower  slope  of  the  pj'ramid 
on  the  west  side  were  not  made  out.  The  stairway  may  have  been 
interrupted  b}'  other  buildings,  but  this  is  unlikely.  Low  down 
on  the  slope  are  the  remains  of  several  small  chambers  which 
may  have  served  as  tombs.  The  rather  small  court  occupies  the 
space  between  the  base  of  the  pyramid  and  the  eastern  wall  of  the 
Nunnery  Quadrangle,  and  though  not  very  well  defined,  appears  to 
have  been  enclosed  by  buildings  somewhat  as  in  the  well-preserved 
quadrangles.  The  House  of  the  Birds,  described  and  illustrated  by 
Stephens,  is  in  this  cluster. 

Nunnery  Quadrangle.  This  famous  group  of  buildings  is  among 
the  best  known  specimens  of  Maya  architecture,  but  much  as  it  has 
been  described,  and  as  fully  as  it  has  been  illustrated  by  the  drawings 
of  Catherwood,  the  photographs  of  Charnay  and  Le  Plongeon,  and  the 
photographs  and  casts  of  Thompson,  the  student  must  see  it  before 
he  can  begin  to  realize  its   marvels.      Four  great  rectangular  struct- 


*This  section  was  made  out  from  hasty  observations  and  is  probably  defective  in  details.  The 
upper  doorway  is  restored.  The  long  dotted  lines  are  intended  to  indicate  probable  vertical  wall 
faces. 


Dec.  1895.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  87 

ures,  low,  heavy,  and  formal  in  general  conformation,  stand  upon  a 
broad  terrace  in  quadrangular  arrangement,  their  ornate  fronts  facing 
inward  upon  the  inclosed  court.  This  assemblage  of  massive  struct- 
ures of  stone  presents  at  first  glance  the  appearance  of  a  fortification, 
but  closer  examination  does  not  bear  out  the  impression.  The  build- 
ings stand  apart  at  the  corners,  leaving  wide  passageways  into  the 
court,  and  though  three  of  them  present  unbroken  exterior  walls,  the 
fourth,  on  the  south  side,  has  exterior  doorways,  and  a  grand  archway, 
ten  feet  wide  and  fifteen  feet  high,  leading  through  the  center  of  the 
building  to  the  court,  as  seen  in  the  panorama.  The  defensive  mo- 
tive seems  to  have  had  no  part  in  the  design,  and  we  have  merely  a 
convenient  assemblage  of  four  independent  buildings,  intended  for  a 
common  use  or  for  kindred  purposes.  Though  built,  no  doubt,  at 
somewhat  different  periods  of  time,  they  are  much  alike  in  plan,  con- 
struction and  general  effect.  They  do  not  have  the  character  of 
temples  but  rather  of  communal  dwellings  or  residences  for  bodies  of 
priestly  or  other  sacerdotal  orders. 

In  the  panoramic  sketch  we  look  down  upon  the  great  quadrangle 
from  the  north,  the  exterior  wall  (of  which  few  details  were  secured) 
and  the  broken  roof  of  the  north  building  appearing  in  the  immediate 
foreground.  The  serrate  crest,  at  the  farther  side  of  this  mass,  is  a 
back  view  of  the  lofty,  highly  ornate,  though  much  broken  facade. 
At  the  left  is  the  east  building  with  its  flat  roof  and  its  fine  facade 
much  foreshortened.  Beyond  we  see  the  inner  front  of  the  south 
building  with  its  dark  archway,  and  to  the  right  is  sketched  in  the 
wonderful  entwined  feathered-serpent  facade  of  the  west  building. 

The  terrace  upon  which  these  buildings  are  somewhat  unsym- 
metrically  placed  has  not  been  very  clearly  defined.  The  base  meas- 
ures upwards  of  300  feet  square;  on  the  south  it  rises  in  three  un- 
equal steps  to  a  height  of  perhaps  fifteen  feet;  on  the  other  sides, 
and  especially  at  the  north,  the  height  is  considerably  greater.  The 
plans  of  the  four  buildings  are  rather  imperfectly  indicated  on  the 
accompanying  map,  and  two  small  structures,  much  ruined,  appear 
within  the  court  near  the  north  side.  Between  the  latter  a  wide 
stairway  ascends  to  the  esplanade  of  the  north  building.  The  state  of 
preservation   of  the  buildings  is  pretty  well  shown  in  the  panorama. 

The  four  great  facades  facing  the  court  are  among  the  most 
notable  in  Yucatan,  and  deserve  especial  attention  at  the  hands  of 
students  of  American  art.  They  have  been  carefully  described  by 
several  authors,  however,  and  require  but  brief  mention  here.  Ban- 
croft's descriptions  are  especially  full  and  lucid.  Though  presenting 
a  somewhat  varied  appearance,  these  buildings  are  essentially  alike  in 
plan,  elevation  and  construction.      The  differences  are  mainly  in  the 


88  Field  Columbian-  Museum — Anthropology,  \  ol.  i. 

decorative  treatment,  though  even  in  this  respect  the}'  have  many 
characters  and  features  in  common.  In  all  cases  the  lower  wall-zone 
is  plain  and  the  upper  almost  wholl}'  covered  with  sculptures.  In  the 
south  and  w^est  buildings  the  facades  appear  to  have  terminated  above 
with  the  coping.  The  east  building  shows  the  remnant  of  a  center- 
piece that  rose  slightly  above  the  cornice,  and  the  north  facade  had  an 
elaborate  false  front  covered  with  sculpture  and  rising  in  a  dozen  or 
more  pinnacles  or  gables  of  varj-ing  height.* 

Examining  the  various  motives  employed  in  embellishment  we  find 
that  the  great  snouted  maskf  was  the  favorite  and  is  found  in  all  the 
fronts.  It  differs  in  each  case,  however,  and  reaches  extraordinarj'^ 
elaboration  of  detail  in  the  north  building,  where  it  formed  vertical 
tiers  five  or  six  faces  deep  at  the  corners  and  over  alternate  doorw^ays, 
rising  in  each  case  to  the  crest  of  a  facade  pinnacle.  The  mask  was 
also  used  in  inferior  pinnacles  rising  from  the  coping  over  the  remain- 
ing doorways. 

In  the  east  building  there  are  vertical  tiers  of  similar  faces  at 
each  corner,  and  one  corresponding  line  in  the  middle  of  the  front. 
One  column  of  three  superposed  masks  is  preserved  in  the  west  build- 
ing. Toward  the  left  there  were  probably  two  others,  the  middle  one 
possibly  having  superior  height  and  prominence.  The  corners  were  no 
doubt  ornamented  in  like  manner.  The  south  facade  has  masks,  of 
somewhat  different  detail,  associated  with  the  coping  over  each  door- 
wa}'.  as  indicated  in  the  panorama. 

Next  to  the  mask  design  the  most  important  motive  is  the  serpent, 
which  appears  in  the  east,  west  and  north  fronts.  The  embodiment 
of  the  colossal  feathered  serpent  W'ith  the  complex  field  of  geometric 
decoration  in  the  west  facade  is  a  most  effective  piece  of  work 
and  must  be  regarded  as  a  great  masterpiece  of  decorative  sculpt- 
ure. Early  explorers  state  that  they  found  the  facade  almost  com- 
plete, but  nothing  is  said  about  the  number  of  serpents  included. 
Judging  by  the  prett}'  general  consistency  of  native  design,  I  should 
incline  to  question  the  view  taken  by  Bancroft,  that  the  serpents 
inclosing  the  right  and  left  panels  —  portions  of  which  are  still  in 
place  —  are  intertwined  with  endless  serpent  bodies  inclosing  the  cen- 
ter panels.  We  should  rather  expect  to  fina  that  there  had  been  two 
pairs  of  serpents,  the  inner  member  of  each  pair  facing  some  import- 
ant, s3'mbolic  centerpiece  occup3ing  the  middle  of  the  facade.  This 
would  properh'  fill  the  spaces  of  the  building  and  give  consistency  to 
the  design.  The  "  nearh'  intact  "  of  the  first  observers  may  leave  room 
for  a  considerable  gap  in  the  facade. 

*Charnay,  Ancient  Cities  of  the  New  World,  p.  400. 

tl  have  usually  spoken  of  these  snouted  visages  as  masks.  If  not  masks,  they  are  at  least 
partially  masked  faces,  and  probably  symbolize  the  chief  Yucatec  deity,  Cukulcan. 


Dec.   1895.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  89 

In  the  front  ot  the  eastern  building  four  over-door  V-shaped 
trophy-like  ornaments  are  seen,  each  consisting  of  eight  horizontally 
placed,  two-headed  serpents  with  bar-like  bodies,  and  against  these 
are  set  in  each  case  near  the  top  a  colossal  human  head  with  peculiar 
and  elaborate  head-dress.  Over  the  centerpiece  of  the  facade  is  a 
somewhat  similar  arrangement  of  serpents,  rising  through  and  above 
the  coping  and  effectively  breaking  the  otherwise  monotonous  line. 

In  the  north  front  the  same  conventional  serpent'^  occurs  in  pairs 
and  in  varied  forms  in  roof  decorations  of  the  over-door  calli  orna- 
ments. This  miniature  calli  or  house  takes  third  rank  among  the 
ideographic  motives  emplo3'ed.  It  forms  the  over-lintel  ornament  in 
all  cases  in  the  south  building,  and  is  found  over  alternate  doorwa3's  in 
the  north  building.  It  is  in  high  relief,  and  it  is  said  that  originally 
seated  human  figures  occupied  some  or  all  of  the  doorways.  Life-sized 
or  colossal  human  figures,  almost  in  the  round,  form  a  fourth  group  of 
motives.  The}'  were  set  in  various  situations  as  centerpieces  in  the 
decorated  fields,  and  several  fragments  remain  to  attest  the  skill  and 
taste  of  the  ambitious  builders.  The  aproned  shield  placed  at  inter-' 
vals  along  the  frieze  molding  forms  a  fifth  class  of  decorative  ele- 
ments. 

The  ground  or  field  of  the  decorated  spaces  in  all  cases  is  the 
sculptured  lattice  work,  and  associated  with  it  in  three  of  the  facades 
are  fine,  boldly  drawn  mosaic  fret  units.  An  important  feature  of 
the  facade  embellishment  are  the  bands  of  miniature  columns  intro- 
duced at  the  base  and  in  the  medial  and  cornice  moldings. 

It  may  thus  be  said  that  these  buildings  employ,  almost  in  com- 
mon, some  eight  or  ten  distinct  decorative  elements,  nearly  all  of  which 
are  doubtless  mytho-sesthetic,  and  were  introduced  because  of  their 
associated  ideas  as  well  as  for  embellishment.  They  all  occur  in 
other  buildings  in  Uxmal,  and  nearly  all  are  found  in  one  form  or  other, 
and  often  with  identical  treatment,  in  Chichen  and  other  cities  of 
Yucatan. 

The  treatment  of  the  end  and  rear  walls  of  these  buildings,  so  far 
as  I  have  learned,  is  comparatively  simple,  consisting  in  the  main, 
aside  from  the  mask-decorated  corner  pieces,  of  alternating  panels  of 
plain  wall  and  lattice  work.  Human  figures  in  high  relief  and  phallic 
symbols  occur  on  the  exterior  wall  of  the  north  building,  but  sketches  of 
these  features,  kindly  forwarded  to  me  by  Mr.  E.  H.  Thompson,  unfor- 
tunately came  too  late  to  be  utilized  in  the  panorama.  The  interiors 
are  generally  plain  with  plastered  or  partially  plastered  masonry,  the 
lintels  and  jambs  of  the  eastern  building  alone  being  embellished. 

*■  Possibly  the  term  monster  would  be  better,  as  it  is  not  quite  certain  for  what  kind  of  creat- 
ure the  figures  are  intended. 


go  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  and  one  tending  to  indicate  a  very  con- 
siderable antiquity  for  this  group  of  structures,  that  the  north  build- 
ing is  built  over  and  includes  within  its  walls  the  ruin  of  an  older 
structure,  which  is,  however,  so  far  as  can  be  seen,  of  like  character 
and  ornamentation. 

The  Gymnasium  Walls.  Over  the  center  of  the  south  building  of 
the  Nunnery  in  the  panorama,  and  midway  between  this  building  and 
the  House  of  the  Turtles,  are  two  massive  walls  or  oblong  piles  of 
masonry  much  foreshortened  by  their  position.  The}-  appear  to  be 
the  only  structures  built  directly  upon  the  general  level  of  the  site, 
though  it  may  not  be  entirely  amiss  to  regard  them  as  substructures 
intended  to  support  audience  places  or  temples,  as  in  the  Tennis 
Court  of  Chichen.  The  presence  of  remnants  of  sculptured  serpents 
about  the  base  of  one  of  the  walls  would  seem  to  indicate  that  a 
stairway  and,  therefore,  probably  a  superstructure,  formerly  existed. 
The  presence  of  large  stone  rings  set  in  the  walls  on  opposing  sides 
is  generally  regarded  as  indicating  the  use  of  the  space  between  as  a 
ball  ground.  The  length  is  given  by  Stephens  as  ninety  feet,  the 
height  twenty  feet,  and  the  thickness  of  each  wall  twenty  feet. 

The  Governor's  Palace.  Beyond  the  Ball-court  walls,  as  seen  in 
the  panorama,  rises  the  broad,  triple  terrace  of  the  so-called  Gover- 
nor's House  or  Palace.  The  superb  building  crowning  the  summit  is 
justly  regarded  as  the  most  important  single  structure  of  its  class  in 
Yucatan,  and  for  that  matter  in  America.  It  is  extremely  simple  in 
plan  and  outline,  being  a  trapezoidal  mass  some  320  feet  long,  forty 
feet  wide,  and  tv.'enty-five  or  twenty-six  feet  high.  It  is  par- 
tially separated  into  three  parts,  a  long  middle  section  and  two  shorter 
end  sections,  b}'  recesses  leading  to  two  great  transverse  archways 
now  walled  up,  but  formerl}'-  passing  quite    through    the   mass. 

The  building  faces  the  east,  the  back  appearing  in  the  panoramic 
view.  The  front  wall  is  pierced  by  nine  principal  doorways,  now 
much  broken  down  above,  and  by  the  two  archway  openings,  and 
presents  a  facade  of  rare  beauty  and  great  originality.*  The  back  or 
west  wall  is  unbroken,  save  by  the  two  archway  recesses  and  a  recent 
breach  in  the  surface  masonry.  It  is  nine  feet  thick  below  through- 
out nearly  the  whole  length,  and  increases  to  twelve  or  thirteen  feet 
at  the  level  of  the  capstones  of  the  interior  arches,  as  shown  in  the 
accompanying  section,  Fig.  26.  The  arrangement  of  rooms  and  door- 
ways is  perhaps  sufficiently  indicated  on  the  map  which  accompanies 
the  panorama.  The  width  of  the  rooms  is  limited  b\'  the  span  of  the 
wedge-shaped  arch,  which  rarely  exceeds  ten  or  twelv^e  feet,    but  the 

♦The  finest  illustration  of  this  building  yet  produced  is  that  published  by  Charnay,  Ancient 
Cities,  etc     Plate  opposite  p.  394. 


Dec.  1895.         A^•CIE^•T  Cities  of  Mexico— Holme; 


91 


W  :;  r  c     m 

S    ;;    =    =        33 


g    re 


S-      O 


Wm% 


g2  Field  Columbian*  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

length  reaches  sixty  feet  in  two  cases.  The  interior  body  or  hearting 
of  the  walls  is  built  of  rough  stones  and  mortar,  and  so  well  laid  up 
that  often  where  the  casing  stones  have  fallen,  the  exposed  face  pre- 
sents the  appearance  of  an  ordinary  rubble  wall.  It  should  be 
remarked,  however,  that  the  larger  exposed  faces,  seen  in  the  main 
facades,  do  not  appear  to  represent  the  actual  backing  or  bed  of  the 
facing  courses,  but  rather  the  back  of  the  soffit  of  the  chamber  vaults, 
as  indicated  by  the  pitch  of  the  exposed  spaces,  the  whole  of  the 
hearting  of  the  wall  having  slid  off. 

The  facing  of  the  walls  within  and  without  is  of  the  usual  light, 
warm  gray  limestone  in  large  squarish  blocks,  cut  and  laid,  in  the  main, 
with  nice  precision.  The  exterior  wall  surface  is  about  twenty-six  feet 
in  height  and  is  divided  into  the  usual  lower  and  upper  zones,  the 
former  being  only  a  little  more  than  half  as  wude  as  the  latter.  The 
lower  is  quite  plain,  save  a  narrow^  band  of  columnar  ornament  at  the 
base,  and  is  perforated  by  the  doorways  which,  through  the  loss  of 
their  wooden  lintels,  have  fallen  in  above,  leaving  wide,  ragged  arches 
penetrating  considerably  into  the  upper  decorated  area,  thus 
mutilating  some  handsome  over-door  ornaments. 

The  upper  zone  is  bordered  below  by  the  usual  bold,  triple  mem- 
bered  molding,  and  above  by  a  frieze  of  ornamented  molding  which  is 
capped  with  a  wide,  flaring,  coping  course,  plain,  save  over  the  western 
gateways,  where  it  is  elaborated  into  a  series  of  grotesque  masks.  The 
included  zone  of  sculptures  is  about  ten  feet  wide  and  extends  en- 
tirely around  the  building.  It  is,  therefore,  720  feet  long  and  in- 
cludes in  its  ornamentation,  by  moderate  estimate,  20,000  stones, 
nearly  all  of  which  are  sculptured  and  individual  in  shape.  The  set- 
ting of  the  complex  designs,  with  their  recessings  and  projections,  is  a 
masterly  piece  of  masonry,  though  there  is,  strange  to  say,  in  all 
the  work  an  apparent  lack  of  appreciation  of  two  of  the  most  funda- 
mental principles  of  stone  laying,  the  transverse  bond  and  the  sys- 
tematic breaking  of  joints. 

There  are  three  principal  motives,  the  mask,  the  fret,  and 
the  lattice,  employed  in  the  design,  which  is  elaborate  and  syste- 
matic but  greatly  diversified  in  effect.  The  leading  feature  is  a  double 
band  of  current  fretwork  of  colossal  size,  set  upon  aground  of  lattice- 
work. This  occupies  the  lower  seven  or  eight  feet  of  the  space  and  is 
accompanied  above  by  a  line  of  snouted  masks  in  the  usual  style.  This 
line  is  not  carried  continuously  along  the  upper  border,  but,  as  if  to 
avoid  too  great  formality,  breaks  down  over  the  geometric  field  near 
the  outer  angles  of  the  facade,  connecting  with  the  lower  end  of  the 
corner  ornaments,  which  consist  of  the  same  mask  element.  Special 
designs  occur  over  doorwavs  and    at   the  corners,  and  at  intervals  on 


Pl.  V.     Portion  of  Sculptured  Facade,  Governor's  Palace. 


This  very  handsome  and  elaborate  piece  of  work  is  a  section  of  the  embel- 
lished entablature-zone  of  the  Palace.  The  height  from  the  lower  or  medial 
molding  below  to  the  coping  course  above  is  about  lo  feet.  The  entire  length, 
covering  the  four  walls  of  the  building,  is  some  725  feet.  If  we  allow  that  the 
stones  employed  average  6  by  12  inches  in  surface  dimensions,  this  deeply  cof- 
fered and  relieved  mosaic  would  comprise  upwards  of  20,000  pieces,  all  especially 
cut  and  a  large  percentage  elaborately  sculptured.  Two  plain  coping  courses  are 
seen  at  the  top,  followed  by  a  twined  fillet  molding,  while  under  this  is  a  line  of  very 
ornate  snouted  masks.  The  broad  space  below  is  filled  with  bold  fret-work,  set  on 
a  lattice  ground  and  interrupted  by  the  wonderful  over-door  trophy,  the  central 
feature  of  which  is  a  human  figure,  fully  life  size,  sculptured  in  the  round  and 
seated  in  a  niche  with  festooned  base.  The  head  was  where  the  minute  white 
cross  now  appears,  and  was  surmounted  by  an  elaborate  and  colossal  head-dress, 
most  of  which  remains.  The  horizontal  bars  terminating  in  serpent  heads  at  both 
ends  are  separated  by  lines  of  hieroglyphs. 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,    PL.    V. 


Over-Door  Ornaments,  East  Facade,  Governor's  Palace. 


Dec.   1895.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  93 

the  ends  and  sides  grotesque  faces  with  their  projecting  snouts 
are  carried  in  very  effective  lines  from  top  to  base  of  the  sculptured 
zone  dividing  the  fretwork  into  sections.  The  designing  and  execu- 
tion of  this  work  were  tasks  worthy  a  great  people  and  a  well-matured 
culture. 

The  great  beauty  and  boldness  and  the  surprising  elaboration  of 
the  work  in  this  wonderful  facade-mosaic  are  well  indicated  in  PI.  V. 
which  represents  the  central  over-door  design  and  is  reproduced 
from  a  portion  of  one  of  Charnay's  photographs.  At  the  top  is 
the  wide,  flaring,  coping  surface,  formed  of  two  courses  of  plain  stone 
work,  and  below  are  the  other  two  members  of  the  frieze  molding,  the 
middle,  square-faced  one  being  sculptured  to  neatly  represent  a 
straight  fillet  intertwined  with  a  meander.  Next  below  is  the  row  of 
elaborate  masks,  rather  dimly  made  out,  but  showing  the  curved, 
broken  snouts,  the  deep  eyes,  the  squarish  ear  ornaments  with  pen- 
dants, the  obscure  mouth  and  the  serpent  brow-band  upon  which  is 
set  a  stellar  orament.  Below  at  the  left  are  portions  of  the  lattice 
ground  and  of  the  two  rows  of  great  frets  with  their  connecting  stems 
of  square  stones  with  square  figures  cut  in  the  face  of  each.  Small 
bits  of  the  same  are  seen  at  the  right,  and  between  is  the  elaborate, 
over-door  piece  which  must  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  greatest  efforts 
of  the  Maya  sculptor-builder.  The  doorway  below  is  broken  out 
through  decay  of  the  lintel  which  was  about  on  a  level  with  the  base 
of  the  picture. 

Above  the  doorway  was  the  usual  three-membered  molding,  a  part 
of  which  remains,  and  from  the  upper  edge  of  this  rose  the  central 
device  consisting  of  a  V,  or  keystone-shaped  arrangement  of  horizon- 
tally placed  serpents,  eight  or  nine  in  number,  with  square,  bar-like 
bodies  and  with  heads  at  both  extremities,  while  between  the  bodies 
in  horizontal  rows  are  indistinctly  seen  six  or  seven  lines  of  hiero- 
glyphs. This  sculptured  trophy  is  crossed  vertically  by  an  elaborate 
piece  of  sculpture  which  embodies,  as  its  chief  feature,  a  human  fig- 
ure— now  badly  mutilated — and  its  lofty  and  elaborate  feather  head- 
dress. The  minute,  white  cross  seen  near  the  middle  of  the  picture 
takes  the  place  left  vacant  by  the  fall  of  the  head  of  the  figure.  The 
ribbed  cape  and  chest  ornament  and  the  arm  stumps  appear  below, 
and  the  straight,  round  body  with  projecting  devices  about  the  waist, 
and  the  legs — the  right  broken  off  above  the  knee  and  the  left  below 
the  knee — may  be  detected.  The  figure  occupies  a  semicircular,  fes- 
tooned seat,  and  the  feet  probably  rested  on  bracket-like  sculptures, 
portions  of  w'hich  are  still  seen.  The  figure  has  been  of  life  size  or  a 
little  larger,  but  was  much  dwarfed  by  the  colossal  head-dress.  In 
the  lower  left-hand  corner  of    the  picture  three   courses  of    the   plain 


94  FiKLD  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

lower  wall-zone  are  seen,  and  on  one  of  the  stones  are  imprints  of  the 
mysterious  red  hand. 

As  seen  from  the  west  this  buildin^^  is  a  truly  wonderful  creation, 
and  set  high  above  the  plain  upon  its  stable  terraces,  it  must  have 
been  a  residence  worth)'  of  any  barbarian  ruler  or  priestly  potentate. 
The  most  novel  and  striking  features  of  this  building  are  the  two 
high,  pointed  archways  which,  with  their  deep  recesses  extending 
from  roof  to  floor,  break  the  monotony  of  the  facades.  The 
original  function  or  significance  of  these  archways  is  a  matter  for  care- 
ful consideration.  We  cannot  assume  for  a  moment  that  they  were 
designed  for  architectural  effect,  as  the  lines  of  the  arches  are 
antagonistic  and  harsh,  yet  on  the  other  hand  one  cannot  imagine 
that  such  colossal  vaults  would  be  constructed  for  mere  convenience  of 
passage  back  and  forth  through  the  building. 

It  appears  to  me  that  the  only  reasonable  solution  of  the  problem 
as  to  the  function  of  these  strange  gateways  is  furnished  by  the  theory 
that  this  structure  was  regarded  as  only  one  member — the  first  to 
be  built — of  a  great  quadrangle,  and  that  the  openings,  not  called  for 
until  the  group  was  complete,  were  for  the  time  being  walled  up. 

Buildings  of  this  oblong,  narrow  plan  were  usually  grouped  in 
fours  about  a  court,  and  as  all  sides  of  a  quadrangle  could  not  be 
built  at  once,  one  would  precede  the  others;  and  we  are  at  lib- 
erty to  assume  that  the  end  of  these  grand  building  operations  came 
when  this  single  structure  was  completed.  The  heaping  up  of  the 
great  terrace  on  the  east  side  may  have  been  the  first  step  in  the  di- 
rection of  adding  the  other  buildings. 

These  arches  are  among  the  most  remarkable  in  the  country  ;each  is 
approximately  twenty-five  feet  long,  ten  feet  wide  and  twent}'  feet  high. 
The  spring  of  the  side  walls  begins  near  the  floor  and  extends  at  a  steep 
angle  to  the  capstones  above.  Finding  these  great  portals  useless 
features  of  a  single  building,  a  wall  was  built  niidwa}'  across  each, 
and  the  spaces  were  inclosed  by  adding  exterior  walls,  forming  square 
rooms  with  exterior  doorways,  as  shown  in  the  plan,  PI.  VIII. 

As  a  rule  in  these  quadrangular  groups,  of  which  I  have  studied 
perhaps  a  hundred,  one  of  the  four  structures  is  more  important  than 
the  others,  and  is  built  upon  a  terrace  or  pyramid  of  superior  height 
overlooking  the  court  and  overtopping  the  other  buildings.  Such  is 
the  case  with  the  Nunnery  Quadrangle,  the  House  of  the  Magician 
and  the  House  of  the  Pigeons,  and  with  numerous  corresponding 
groups  in  southern  Mexico. 

House  of  the  Turtles.  This  building  is  much  inferior  to  most 
of  the  others  in  dimensions,  but  is  regarded  as  a  very  representative 
and  handsome  structure.  It  is  seen  in  the  panorama  at  the  right  of 
the  Palace  and  on  a  projection  of  the  second  terrace  at  the  northwest 


Pl.  VI.     Middle  Portion  of  the  House  of  the  Pigeons. 


In  the  middle  of  the  picture  is  seen  the  remaining  portion  of  the  vaulted 
portal  which  led  through  the  north  building  of  the  quadrangle  into  the  court  be- 
yond. The  facade  has  entirely  disappeared,  and  sections  of  the  front  range  of 
rooms  are  seen,  displaying  the  solid  masonry  of  partition  walls  and  roof.  Above  is 
the  remarkable  roof-comb,  which  extended  the  entire  length  of  the  building 
along  the  middle  of  the  roof.  Below  is  the  long  monotonous  line  of  door-like 
openings  which  penetrate  the  comb  wall,  having  no  function  other  than  that  of 
ornament.  Above  is  the  rigid  line  of  moldings  and  over  this  are  shown  five 
of  the  nine  perforated  gables,  erected  for  no  other  purpose  than  that  of  holding 
aloft  elaborate  sculptured  decorations. 


Dec.    1895.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  95 

corner.  It  is  peculiar  in  being  unassociated  with  other  buildings.  In 
plan  it  is  a  rectangle  nearly  100  feet  long  and  some  thirty-four  feet 
wide.  The  east  and  west  ends  are  in  an  advanced  stage  of  ruin,  and 
portions  of  the  walls  and  roof  near  the  middle  have  fallen.  The 
apartments  were  of  the  usual,  character  and  construction,  but  details 
of  the  plan  were  not  made  out.  The  exterior  is  exceptionally 
simple  in  its  decoration,  the  main  features  being  a  wide  band  of  col- 
umnar ornament,  filling  the  upper  zone  of  the  wall,  and  a  line  of 
sculptured  turtles  set  rather  far  apart  along  the  frieze  moldings. 

House  of  the  Pigeons.  This  unique  structure,  seen  m  the  pano- 
rama to  the  right  of  the  House  of  the  Turtles  and  somewhat  farther 
away,  is  the  ruin  of  the  north  building  of  another  remarkable  quad- 
rangle which  could  appropriately  be  called  the  Quadrangle  of  the 
Nine  Gables.  PI.  VI  shows  the  central  part  of  this  building,  the 
partitions  and  back  walls  of  the  front  tier  of  chambers  appearing  at 
the  base  behind  the  white  figures. 

The  ancient  builders  certainly  did  not  lack  originality  and 
boldness.  We  find  ourselves  constantly  encountering  the  marvel- 
ous, and  pausing  in  amazement  before  structures  that  are  des- 
tined to  remain  riddles  for  all  time.  Here  was  a  great  building,  of 
usual  construction  and  size,  with  an  arch  opening  through  the  middle 
into  a  court — as  in  the  south  building  of  the  Nuns'  Quadrangle — - 
bearing  upon  its  roof  a  colossal,  masonry  comb  built  at  an  enormous 
expenditure  of  time  and  labor.  The  wall  of  this  comb  is  very  thick 
below  and  is  faced  with  cut  stone.  About  four  feet  from  the  base  is  a 
band  of  molding  of  usual  type  which  extends  the  full  length  of  the 
building.  The  wall  below  this  is  perforated  by  a  row  of  upwards  of 
fifty  door-like  openings.  Above  the  moldings  the  wall  is  divided  into 
nine  sections  which  rise  in  steps  to  some  twelve  feet  in  height,  termin- 
ating in  points  now  somewhat  broken  down.  Only  eight  of  these 
pinnacles  are  still  standing,  though  I  have  taken  the  liberty  of  show- 
ing the  full  number  in  the  panorama.  Each  of  the  gables  is  perforated 
with  upwards  of  thirty  rectangular,  window-like  openings  arranged 
with  varied  spacing  in  seven  horizontal  rows.  From  the  face  of  these 
gable-like  piles  are  seen  projecting  stones  which  are  all  that  remain 
of  what  must  have  been  bold  and  effective  groups  of  sculpture,  and 
there  can  be  little  doubt  that  this  colossal  comb  of  masonry  was  built 
exclusively  for  the  purpose  of  embellishing  the  building  and  holding 
aloft  its  sculptured  ornaments. 

The  court  of  this  quadrangle  is,  according  to  the  statement  of 
Stephens,  180  feet  from  east  to  west  and  150  feet  from  north  to  south. 
The  south  building  is  in  ruins  and  is  penetrated  by  an  arch  similar 
to  that  in  the  north  building  just  described;  this  is  barely  visible  in 
the  panorama.      The  east  and  west  buildings  are  in  an  advanced  state 


96  Field  Columbian  ISIuseum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

of  ruin  and  must  have  been  inferior  in  importance  to  the  other  mem- 
bers of   tlie  quadrangle. 

South  Quadrangle.  Beyond  the  Quadrangle  of  the  Seven  Gables 
and  in  the  distance  in  the  panorama  is  another  quadrangle  with  a 
much  smaller  court,  having  low  buildings  on  the  east  and  west  and  a 
fine  temple-crowned  pyramid  on  the  south  side.  The  latter,  accord- 
ing to  Stephens,  is  some  125  feet  by  200  feet  in  dimensions  at  the  base 
and  fifty  feet  high.  The  superstructure  is  a  building  of  the  usual 
style  and  apparently  closely  resembles  that  of  the  House  of  the 
Magician  at  the  opposite  end  of  the  city.  A  broad,  well  preserved 
stairwa^•  leads  from  the  front  of  the  temple  down  to  the  court  on  the  north. 

The  Great  Pyramid,  Etc.  One  of  the  grandest  structures  in  Uxmal 
is  the  great  truncated  pyramid  seen  in  the  panorama  rising  at  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  main  terrace  of  the  Palace.  It  is  sixty  or 
seventy  feet  in  height  and  measures,  according  to  Stephens,  some 
200  by  300  feet  at  the  base.  This  author  describes  a  summit 
platform  seventy-five  feet  square  and  three  feet  high,  and  a  nar- 
row terrace  extending  all  around  the  pyramid  fifteen  feet  below 
the  crest.  The  surfaces  seem  to  liave  been  richly  decorated  with 
characteristic  sculptures.  Unfortunately  there  was  no  time  to  visit 
this  section  of  the  ruins,  and  the  two  small  pyramids  seen  at  the  left 
in  the  panorama  had  to  be  passed  by  without  examination.  Some 
photographs  of  the  latter  group  in  my  possession  show  interesting 
architectural  features,  including  a  pierced  roof-comb  resembling  the 
work  on  the  House  of  the  Pigeons,  though  not  serrate.  Remains  of 
buildings  and  terraces  are  seen  on  all  hands.  Some  quite  important 
structures  are  located  to  the  west  of  the  Nunnery  Quadrangle,  one 
of  which  is  indicated  in  the  panorama;  another  farther  out  shows 
hewn  stone  walls  and  usual  doorways  and  arched  chambers. 

Scattered  about  the  ruins  are  a  number  of  unique  and  interesting 
sculptures.  One  of  these  was  discovered  by  ]\Ir.  Thompson  half  a 
mile  south  and  a  little  east  of  the  Governor's  Palace,  It  is  a  tapering 
column  five  feet  high,  twent}'  inches  in  diameter  at  the  base  and 
twenty-eight  inches  at  the  top,  and  has  near  the  upper  end  two  series 
of  neatly  sculptured  glyphs.  It  is  shown  in  PI.  VII.,  which  is  photo- 
graphed from  the  cast  made  by  Mr.  Thompson  for  the  Columbian 
Exposition  and  now  in  the  Field  Columbian  ^Museum.  Another,  illus- 
trated by  Stephens,  and  now  placed  on  the  portico  balustrade  of  the 
Hacienda  at  Uxmal,  resembles  a  stone  seat  or  chair,  such  as  are  seen 
in  the  Palenque  bas  reliefs,  and  has  sculptured  grotesque,  tiger-like 
heads  at  the  extremities.  It  probably  served  as  an  ornament  or  sup- 
ported some  important  piece  of  statuary.  A  similar  specimen  is  seen 
in  one  of  Catherwod"s  drawings,  inserted,  apparently,  in  the  low^er  part 
of  an  exterior  wall-niche. 


■;.f{)    yr 


Pl.  VII.     Inscribed  Stela  or  Column. 


This  interesting  object  was  found  a  little  south  of  the  Governor's  Palace, 
Uxmal.  Its  height  is  4  feet  9  inches,  diameter  at  base  21  inches  and  at  top  26 
inches.  A  single  line  of  glyphs  encircles  the  upper  margin  of  the  stone  and  a 
cartouch-like  group  of  glyphs  appears  on  one  side.  These  inscriptions  are  very 
neatly  executed  and  serve  to  indicate  the  style  of  writing  practiced  by  the 
ancients.  Material,  gray  limestone.  Photographed  from  a  plaster  cast,  prepared 
from  molds  made  by  Mr.  E.  H.  Thompson  for  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition. 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM.  ANTHROPOLOGY,  PL.    VII. 


Inscribed  Stela  or  Column. 


Pl.  VIII.     Sketch   Map,   Ruins  of  Uxmal, 


S^ 


""^^ 


c 


Pl.   IX.     Panorama  of  Uxmal. 


PANORAMA     OF     UXflAL. 


c 


Dec.    1895.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  97 


IZAMAL. 

Scant  justice  has  been  done  to  Izamal  by  any  of  our  travelers 
and  explorers,  as  like  ourselves  they  had  splendid  Chichen  in  view 
and  hurried  by,  casting  hasty  glances  to  the  right  and  left.  Seeing  the 
huge  dismantled  monuments  of  a  vanished  people  obscured  and  dis- 
figured by  the  weak  and  flimsy  structures  of  a  modern  village,  the 
student  is  filled  with  regret  and  sadness.  Half  a  dozen  massive 
mounds,  rising  above  the  general  level  of  the  village,  can  be  distinctly 
seen  from  the  house-tops  surrounding  the  public  square,  and  it  is  said 
that  traces  of  many  more  are  still  to  be  found  if  search  is  made. 
Nothing  whatever  remains  save  these  solid  masses.  Portions  of  cut 
stone  facing,  traces  of  stairways,  and  a  few  stucco  ornaments  are  still 
to  be  seen,  the  latter  exposed  to  view  in  recent  times  by  the 
removal  of  debris  from  the  slopes  of  the  mounds.  The  grandest 
pile  was  recently  remodeled  as  a  fortress,  and  the  second  in  size  is 
entirely  encased  behind  the  walls  and  beneath  the  floors  of  a  Spanish 
cathedral.  I  sought  in  vain  for  material  for  a  panoramic  view, 
but  only  fragments  are  insight,  and  no  time  was  to  spare  for  negoti- 
ating with  householders  whose  back  lots  and  gardens,  separated  by 
high  walls,  divide  the  heritage  of  the  ancients. 

The  great  pyramid,  situated  in  the  northern  part  of  the  village,  is 
seen  directly  ahead  of  the  train  as  we  approach  from  Merida  and  is 
one  of  the  most  imposing  piles  in  Yucatan.  Its  whole  height  is 
about  sixty  feet.  The  lower  terrace  is  upwards  of  twenty-five  feet 
high  and  is  perhaps  300  feet  square  at  the  top.  From  the  surface  of 
this  and  set  back  near  the  northern  margin  rises  a  pyramid  some 
forty  feet  in  height,  the  summit  measuring  thirty  feet  from  north  to 
south  and  some  sixty  feet  from  east  to  west.*  The  approach  was  ap- 
parently from  the  south  by  two  stairways,  one  rising  from  the  ground 
to  the  first  level,  and  the  other  from  the  terrace  to  the  truncated  sum- 
mit which  must  originally  have  been  crowned  with  a  temple.  Portions 
of  the  cement  floor  still  remain,  though  possibly  not  entirely  aboriginal. 
The  lower  stairway  is  replaced  by  an  inclined  way,  and  recent  military 
operations  have  so  modified  the  upper  flight  that  the  original  form  is 
uncertain.  Little  is  left  exposed  of  the  surface  facing  of  hewn  stone — 
the  material  having  been  convenient  for  house  building — but  numerous 
cut  stones  of  large  size  are  seen  about  the  lower  slopes.  Excavation 
would  no  doubt  disclose  interesting  remnants  of  the  ancient  walls. 

Midway  in  the  northern  slope  of  the  structure  is  an  irregular, 
partially  filled   opening    extending  obliquely   downward   toward  the 

♦Dimensions  here  g\\en  are  estimates  and  from  memory. 


gS  FiKLD  Columbian*  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

center  of  the  mound.  It  is  said  to  have  been  dug  in  the  search  for 
interior  chambers,  and  the  reports  as  to  the  results  are  very  conflict- 
ing, Stephens,  however,  averring  that  he  had  satisfactory  proofs  of 
their  existence.  The  mass  is  composed  of  broken  limestone  ir- 
regularl}'  set  in  mortar.  A  distant  view  of  this  pile  is  given  by 
Charnay. 

The  broad  mound  occupied  by  the  Cathedral  must  have  been  a 
leading  feature  of  the  ancient  city,  and  no  doubt  supported  a  temple 
or  other  important  building.  It  seems  to  correspond  somewhat 
closely  with  the  lower  terrace  of  the  great  mound  in  height  and  other 
dimensions. 

The  most  interesting  monument  of  the  place  is  situated  just 
west  of  the  public  square  of  the  town  and  occupies  the  back  lots 
and  gardens  of  perhaps  half  a  dozen  dwellings.  It  is  some  twenty-five 
feet  high,  but  is  imperfectly  defined  in  horizontal  dimensions.  The 
width  at  the  south  front  is  something  like  fort)'' feet;  the  main  mass  ex- 
tends back  to  the  north  sixty  or  eighty  feet  and  then  falls  off  to  a  few 
feet  in  height,  connecting,  apparently,  through  several  gardens,  with  a 
considerable  mass  farther  on.  Portions  of  the  debris  that  formerly 
veiled  the  w^alls  have  been  removed  along  the  south  end  and  for  some 
fifty  or  sixty  feet  along  the  sides.  It  is  on  the  east  side  near  the 
southeast  corner  that  we  encounter  the  mutilated  remains  of  the 
great  stucco  face  to  which  several  writers  have  referred.  Originally 
it  was  a  superb  work,  the  face,  some  five  feet  wide  and  sdven  or  eight 
feet  high,  having  been  boldly  modeled  and  neath'  finished  and 
painted.  The  chin  is  only  a  few  inches  above  the  present  level  of 
the  ground.  This  is  the  head  illustrated  by  Charna\',  while  the 
cam  graf2de,  a  boldly  modeled  head,  raised  several  feet  above  the 
ground  and  surrounded  b}'^  rough,  stone  wall  surface,  illustrated  by 
Stephens,  appears  to  have  been  on  the  south  face,  that  part  of  the 
pyramid  being  now  obscured  by  buildings.  I  present  in  Fig.  27  a 
sketch — our  photographs  having  failed  in  clearness — showing  the 
head  in  its  relation  to  the  decorated  space  and  to  the  side  and  rounded 
southeast  corner  of  the  pyramid.  The  sketch  of  the  elaborate  head- 
dress was  hastily  made,  and  makes  no  pretense  at  accurac}'  in  detail. 
I  am  unable  to  say  just  how  much  of  the  base  of  the  figure  is  hidden 
by  debris. 

The  south  end  of  the  pyramid,  to  the  left  of  the  corner  shown  in 
the  sketch,  is  now  completely  hidden  b}'  modern  buildings.  The 
Stephens  head,  if  it  is  different  from  that  now  exposed,  may  have 
occupied  this  wall.  The  west  side  has  been  partially  freed  of  the 
debris,  thus  exposing  the  walls,  part  of  a  stairway  and  a  ver)'  fine 
specimen  of  stucco  modeling.      The   latter  is   the  colossal  figure   of 


Dec.   1895.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


99 


Fig.  27.     Sketch  Showing  Relation  of  Giant  Stucco  Head  to  Side  and 
Corner  of  Pyramid,  Izamal. 


Fig.  28.     Sketch  of  Colossal  Stucco  Relief,  West  Side  of  Pyramid,  Izamal. 


loo         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  \'ol.    i. 

some  mythical  personage,  spoken  of  by  Charnay  as  •'  a  crouching 
tiger,"  but  it  exhibits  no  other  than  human  features,  as  shown  in  my 
sketch,  Fig.  28.  The  figure  is  placed  horizontally,  in  a  panel  some 
four  feet  high  by  eight  feet  long,  with  the  face  turned  south,  the  whole 
pose  resembling  that  assumed  by  a  person  pitched  forward  and  rest- 
ing on  the  knees  and  elbows.  The  usual  ornamental  plumes,  and 
some  sj'mbol-like  figures  fill  the  interspaces.  Above  the  back  of  the 
figure  portions  of  the  stucco  have  been  destroyed.  The  modeling  is 
in  bold,  well  handled  relief  and  has  been  finished  in  colors.  The 
panel  occupies  a  nearly  vertical  wall-space  some  twelve  or  fifteen 
feet  above  the  base  of  the  p3'ramid. 


1      1      ^1 

'1    '1 

-m 

H'Sl 

1 

1^^ 

IHJ 

\ 

^k 

1 

^1 

L,| 

,  '     -■ 

m 


Mosaic  Fret-Work,  Facade  of  the  Governor's  Palace,  Uxmal. 

Length,  eight  feet. 


Dec.    1895.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  ioi 


CHICHEN-ITZA. 

Chichen-Itza — the  raouthsot  the  wells  of  Itzas — is  the  name  given 
to  the  most  important  group  of  ruins  in  Yucatan;  although  it  has  no 
single  monument  to  rival  the  Governor's  Palace  or  the  Nunnery 
Quadrangle  at  Uxmal,  it  outranks  that  city  in  extent  and  in  the 
number  and  variety  of  its  remains.  Mr..E.  H.  Thompson,  who  has 
visited,  or  thoroughly  familiarized  himself  with,  all  the  centers  of 
Maya  culture,  recognizes  the  superiority  of  Chichen  as  a  field  for 
research  and  has  settled  down  here  with  the  intention  of  devoting 
the  best  years  of  his  life  to  a  monographic  study.  If  he  should  live 
to  carry  out  his  plan,  and  he  is  yet  a  young  man  and  fully  acclimated 
in  Yucatan,  we  may  look  forward  to  a  fitting  and  satisfactory  pres- 
entation of  at  least  one  of  the  ancient  cities  of  the  New  World  be- 
fore the  processes  of  nature,  aided  by  the  violent  hand  of  man,  shall 
have  finally  leveled  them  with  the  ground.  What  I  present  here  is 
the  merest  sketch  such  as  any  archeologist  visitor  of  a  few  days  might 
glean  from  surface  phenomena,  and  will  not  in  the  least  handicap 
Mr.  Thompson  in  his  contemplated  work.  I  hope,  however,  that  it 
may  in  a  measure  aid  him  through  its  suggestiveness  as  to  various 
features  and  problems  and  as  to  the  means  of  presenting  them 
graphically. 

Like  Uxmal,  Chichen  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  forest- 
covered  plain  whose  monotony  is  broken  only  by  minor  irregularities 
of  the  rocky  surface.  Geologically  the  country  is  composed  of  soft, 
whitish,  horizontally-bedded  limestones  of  late  pliocene  or  early 
pleistocene  age,  and  the  surface  appears  to  have  been  little  modified 
since  its  elevation  above  the  sea.  Minor  changes  have  taken  place 
mainly  through  the  breaking  up  of  the  superficial  strata.  This 
has  occurred  along  irregularities  of  sub-aqueous  or  shore-line 
formation  mainly  through  the  wedge-like  action  of  forest  roots  aided 
by  decay  and  gravitation.  These  agencies  have  tended  to  round  the 
topographic  forms,  to  reduce  the  height  of  elevations  and  fill  up  the 
depressions. 

Another  important  class  of  agencies  has  been  at  work  pro- 
ducing innumerable  small  depressions  and  cavernous  openings  which 
now  exhibit  various  stages  of  development  and  degeneracy.  As  de- 
scribed in  the  introductory  pages  the  limestones  have  been  perforated 
in  various  directions  by  the  waters,  which  in  this  land  of  forests  are 
always  charged  with  corroding  acids,  and  underground  channels  have 
been  formed  leading  down  toward  sea-level  and  outward  toward  the  sea, 
Enlargements  of  these  channels  have  in  cases  taken  the  form  of  gap- 
ing caverns,  and  again  have  led  to  the  falling  in  of  roofs  all  along  the 


I02         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,   Vol.    i 

drainage  course  forming  sinks,  some  of  which  expose  the  waters 
beneath.  In  the  Chichen  region  these  features  consist  of  several 
rounded  pits  or  wells  of  large  size,  containing  pools  of  water  from 
which  the  necessary  supply  of  that  precious  liquid  was  obtained  in 
ancient  times.  Two  great  wells  of  this  type,  called  cenotes,  occur 
within  the  limits  of  Chichen.  Besides  these,  several  conical  sinks, 
possibly  dead  wells,  are  also  seen;  other  wells  and  sinks  of  varied 
conformation  are  found  on  all  hands  without  the  city  limits.  To  the 
existence  of  these  natural  wells  we  undoubtedly  owe  the  presence  of 
the  ancient  peoples  and  the  building  of  cities  in  this  unpromising 
region,  for  there  is  no  running  water  in  all  this  part  of  Yucatan. 

This  place  was  one  of  the  most  important  centers  of  Maya  culture 
during  the  prosperous  period  preceding  the  coming  of  the  Spanish, 
and,  though  it  was  occupied  by  its  builders  for  nearly  200  years  after 
the  discover}'^,  little  is  known  definitely  of  its  history.  I  shall  not  stop 
to  review  either  the  historic  or  archeological  literature  of  the  city,  as 
others  have  done  so  at  considerable  length,  and  we  may  reasonably 
expect  that  an  exhaustive  monograph  will  soon  be  forthcoming  from 
the  pen  of  Mr.  Thompson. 

Fifty  years  ago  the  site  of  Chichen  was  a  prosperous  hacienda 
with  the  considerable  village  of  Pist^  nearby,  but  the  southern  tribes 
rose  and  massacred  or  drove  out  all  the  inhabitants.  Since  then  the 
wilderness  has  again  claimed  the  region,  and  but  for  recent  clearings 
by  explorers,  and  a  few  native  cornfields  in  the  vicinity,  slight  trace  of 
the  once  prosperous  city  would  now  be  visible  even  to  the  bird  that 
hovers  over  the  forest. 

The  principal  ruins  of  this  group  are  included  within  a  space 
considerably  less  than  a  mile  square,  and  consist  of  half  a  dozen  im- 
portant piles  with  numerous  remains  of  inferior  structures  scattered 
about,  some  of  the  latter  being  so  completely  buried  in  the  forest  that 
their  exploration  has  never  been  undertaken.  A  glance  at  the  vari- 
ous monuments  and  their  assemblage  upon  the  site  quickly  dispels 
any  notion  that  may  have  been  formed  of  the  existence  here 
of  anything  like  a .  modern  city.  The  great  buildings  are  not  so 
scattered,  perhaps,  or  so  diverse  in  their  orientation  as  the  principal 
structures  of  such  cities  as  Rome  and  Paris,  but  the  points  of  the 
compass  were  but  lightly  considered,  and  there  are  no  indications  of 
lining  up  in  any  direction  to  suggest  streets,  squares  or  systematic 
grouping.  Historians  speak  of  roadways  radiating  through  the  forest 
and  connecting  with  other  centers,  but  the  traces  are  so  meager  as  to 
have  commanded  little  attention. 

In  plan  and  dimensions  the  buildings  are  greatly  diversified. 
The  pyramid-temple,  of  which  there  are  over    a    dozen    examples    in 


Dec.  1895.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  103 

various  stages  of  ruin,  may  be  regarded  as  the  prevailing  type  of 
structure.  The  ground  plans  generally  show  very  simple  arrange- 
ments of  corridors,  vestibules  and  chambers,  the  number  of  apartments 
being  small  and  in  no  case  exceeding  twenty;  the  most  unique  features 
are  found  in  the  Caracol  or  Round  Tower.  There  is  no  building  in  which 
one  story  is  superposed  upon  another — save  perhaps  in  the  Caracol 
where  the  evidence  is  somewhat  indefinite — and  underground  struct- 
ures are  unknown.  Several  buildings  are  founded  on  the  original 
surface  of  the  ground  or  upon  sites  but  slightly  leveled  up,  while 
others  occupy  artificial  terraces  and  pyramids  of  greatly  diversified 
height,  outline  and  manner  of  treatment.  Walls  of  buildings  are 
usually  nearl}^  vertical,  exceptionally  a  little  flaring,  and  in  one  or  two 
cases  the  upper  wall-zone  slopes  inward,  becoming,  in  a  sense,  part  of 
the  roof.  The  lower  zone  is  usuall}'  plain,  and  the  upper,  where  vertical, 
is  with  rare  exceptions  decorated  with  panels  of  composite  sculpture. 
The  roof  is  level  and  surfaced  with  cement,  and  the  floors  also 
are  usually  of  cement.  The  arches  employed  in  ceiling  all  apartments 
are  wedge-shaped  and  include  two  varieties.  In  one  style  the  inward 
sloping  walls  are  closed  above  with  a  row  of  horizontally-placed  slabs, 
and  the  other  b)^  two  lines  of  slabs  leaning  together  at  the  top.  Door- 
wa3'S  and  openings  of  all  sorts  are  spanned  by  horizontal  lintels  of 
wood  or  stone.  Doorwa3's  are  of  moderate  or  large  size  and  bear  no 
evidence  of  the  association  of  doors  of  solid  material. 

The  materials  employed  by  the  Chichen  builders  are  the  soft, 
light-gray  limestones  of  the  locality — largely  quarried,  no  doubt,  in 
the  immediate  vicinity — and  ordinary  lime-sand  mortar,  besides  wood 
and  other  vegetal  materials,  preserved  in  a  few  instances  only.  The 
hearting  of  the  pyramids  and  thicker  walls  is  composed  of  broken  stones 
and  mortar  irregularly  thrown  together  yet  forming  generally  very 
compact  and  stable  bodies. 

Ordinar}'  surface  masonry^  especially  in  the  less  pretentious 
buildings,  is  of  irregular,  imperfectly  hewn  stones,  laid  up  with  little 
apparent  skill,  transverse  bonding  and  the  proper  breaking  of  joints 
being  sadl}'-  neglected.  All  important  wall  spaces  in  the  principal 
buildings  are  faced  with  accurately  hewn  blocks,  neatly  laid  but 
with  little  mortar  save  at  the  back.  Lintels,  jamb  stones,  corner- 
pieces,  cornices,  coping,  columns,  pillars,  balustrades,  sculptured  in- 
teriors and  the  like  are  of  large  stones  well  dressed  and  skillfully  laid. 
The  greatest  skill  of  the  mason  was  not  shown  until  he  essayed  to  place 
the  composite  sculptured  decorations  of  the  great  facades,  a  compli- 
cated and  difficult  operation.  Here,  as  elsewhere,  the  wooden  lintel 
was  the  weak  feature  of  the  construction,  and  its  use  led  to  the  pre- 
mature destruction  of  many  an  important  facade. 


I04         Field  Columbian   Museu.m — Anthropology,   Vol.    i. 

The  Chichen  sculptor  seems  to  have  worked  in  the  round  and  in 
various  degrees  of  relief  with  equal  facility,  and  composite  sculpture, 
in  which  many  separately  carved  pieces  were  set  together  in  colossal 
designs,  was  practiced  with  remarkable  success.  The  work  is  every- 
where characterized  by  rude  vigor  rather  than  by  refinement  of  con- 
ception or  delicacy  of  execution.  Sculpture  was  employed  for  little 
else  than  architectural  embellishment,  and  it  is  not  quite  certain  that 
any  of  the  human  or  animal  figures  found  about  the  ruins  were  statu- 
ary in  the  sense  that  they  were  to  be  independently  installed  and  separ- 
ately viewed  or  adored.  I  saw  nothing  that  by  its  character  or  place- 
ment could  be  safely  classed  as  an  idol  pure  and  simple.  The  tigers  are 
probably  seats,  the  serpents  form  columns  or  balustrades,  the  standing 
human  figures  are  mainly  of  caryatid-atlantean  type  and  served  as 
supports  for  tables  or  altars;  and  even  the  recumbent,  Chac-Mools  of 
Le  Plongon,  must  have  been  intended  for  altars  or  for  supporting 
some  feature  of  the  temples  in  which  they  are  found. 

The  study  of  even  a  single  example  of  the  great  facades  is  suffi- 
cient to  impress  upon  one  the  vast  importance  of  the  sculptor's  work, 
but  the  immense  range  of  his  field  is  appreciated  when  the  heavy 
rattle-snake  columns,  the  colossal  serpent  balustrades,  the  long  lines 
of  caryatid-atlantean  figures,  and  the  graphic  relief  sculptures  of 
temple  interiors  and  pillars  have  been  passed  in  review.  The  life  sub- 
jects had  perhaps  in  all  cases  a  mythologic  origin  and  application,  be- 
ing employed  in  buildings  or  situations  consistent  with  their  symbol- 
ism. Purely  geometric  motives  are  numerous,  important  and  highly 
varied  and  specialized,  indicating  on  the  part  of  this  people,  a  ripe  ex- 
perience in  various  branches  of  art  in  which  the  aesthetic  had  equal 
consideration  with  the  symbolic. 

The  tools  used  in  the  execution  of  these  works  were  probably 
wholly  of  stone,  and  sledges  and  chisels  of  that  material  are  occasion- 
ally found,  but  the  surface  of  the  ground  is  so  completely  obscured 
by  vegetation  and  so  buried  in  the  debris  of  buildings  that  little  op- 
portunity is  offered  of  securing  specimens. 

Modeling  in  stucco  seems  to  have  met  with  but  little  favor  in 
Chichen,  but  the  use  of  plaster  was  universal;  every  imperfect 
surface  was  leveled  up  by  this  means,  and  all  surfaces,  whatsoever 
their  material,  degree  of  finish  or  elaboration  of  design,  were  treated 
with  color.  The  colors  employed  were  varied  and  brilliant,  and 
retain  their  brightness  to-day  wiiere  reasonably  protected  from  the 
weather.  Interior  wall  surfaces  were  in  many  instances  finished  in 
various  formal  and  geometric  designs,  as  well  as  with  glyphs,  symbolic 
figures  and  elaborate  graphic  subjects. 

The  function  of  the  various  structures  was  doubtless  in  the  mam 


Dec.   1895.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  105 

religious,  the  typical  temple  prevailing  over  all  other  forms  of  build- 
ing. The  names  given  the  various  structures  are  rarely  especially 
appropriate,  and  serve  no  other  purpose  than  that  of  convenience  of 
designation.  A  few  are  descriptive,  and  hence  good,  and  I  have 
taken  the  liberty  of  suggesting  a  few  additional  names  of  this  class 
that  may  be  useful. 

The  builders  of  Chichen  were  of  Maya  stock,  but,  dwelling  in 
the  midst  of  a  unique  environment  and  much  isolated  from  the  other 
branches  of  the  family,  there  had  grown  up  wide  distinctions  between 
their  art  and  that  of  other  sections.  The  period  of  occupation, 
though  apparently  unbroken,  was  undoubtedly  a  long  one,  covering 
probably  five  centuries  or  more,  and  extending  down  to  and  beyond 
the  coming  of  the  Spanish  conquerors. 

Panoramic  View.  Though  most  of  the  larger  ruins  are  now  more 
or  less  distinctly  visible  from  the  lofty  crest  of  El  Castillo,  the 
Caracol  or  the  Palace,  there  is  no  point  from  which  all  can  be 
comprehended  in  a  single' view,  so  that  my  panorama  had  to  be  con-, 
structed  from  an  assumed  point  of  view.  The  point  chosen  is  a  little 
to  the  south  of  the  Palace,  as  indicated  on  the  accompanying  map, 
and  at  a  height  of  about  150  feet.  The  drawing  from  this  assumed 
point  v/as  easy  on  account  of  the  excellent  view  obtained  from 
the  top  of  the  Palace;  and  with  this  view  as  a  basis  a  careful  study  of 
the  individual  structures  with  respect  to  their  obscured  southern 
faces,  has  made  it  easy  to  present  a  consistent  and  comprehensive 
panorama,  though  lack  of  time  has  rendered  it  impossible  to  execute 
it  in  much  detail.  In  the  foreground  is  the  group  of  the  Nunnery  or 
Palace,  A,  with  its  annexed  buildings,  B  and  C,  seen  from  the  rear. 
To  the  right  of  this  is  the  low  box-like  form  of  the  Akab-tzib,  D,  with 
a  deep  sink  descending  from  its  east  front.  -An  oblong  pyramid, 
robbed  of  its  superstructure  by  modern  house  builders,  is  seen  in  the 
foreground,  and  a  small  mound  appears  at  the  left;  and  beyond  and 
over  the  east  end  of  the  Palace  is  the  Caracol  or  round  tower,  E.  To 
the  left  of  this  come  first  the  squarish  mass  of  Chichanchob  or  Red 
House,  F,  and  beyond  over  the  top  of  the  Palace  is  the  ruined 
pyramid-temple,  G.  Near  the  center  of  the  picture  is  a  small  pyra- 
mid, from  which  the  temple  has  almost  completely  disappeared,  and 
beyond  this  is  the  Ball-court  or  Gymnasium,  H.  El  Castillo  or  the 
castle,  so-called,  with  its  lofty,  stepped  pyramid,  I,  is  a  little  to  the 
right;  still  farther  on  is  a  small  pyramid,  and  to  the  right  are  two 
considerable  temple-pyramids  connected  with  an  extensive  system  of 
ruins,  J,  of  which  little  is  yet  known.  Two  cenotes  are  indicated, 
the  Cenote  Grande  at  K,  in  the  middle  of  the  picture,  and  the  Sacred 
Cenote   at   L,    about   a    mile    from    the   point   of    view.      Pist^   would 


io6         Field  Columbian   Museum — Anthropology,   Vol.    i. 

appear  at  P.  The  forest  has  been  largely  omitted,  and  where  debris 
obscures  known  forms  it  also  has  been  ignored. 

The  general  view  of  the  plain  obtained  from  the  higher  buildings 
is  one  not  easily  forgotten.  The  forest,  forming  a  carpet  of  rich 
autumn  colors,  is  unbroken  save  by  the  ruins  near  at  hand  whose 
summits  rise  above  the  tree-tops,  and  a  pyramidal  mass  on  the 
horizon  far  to  the  southwest. 

The  Nunnery  or  Palace.  The  so-called  Nunnery  or  Palace,  A, 
seen  in  the  immediate  foreground  of  the  panorama,  is  one  of  the 
most  interesting  and  important  buildings  in  Chichen.  It  has  associ- 
ated with  it  at  the  right  two  smaller  buildings  or  annexes,  B  and  C- 
Thegroup  appears  to  rest  almost  directly  upon  the  original  surface 
of  the  site  which  was,  however,  somewhat  uneven,  necessitating  a 
good  deal  of  leveling  up,  as  on  the  south  side  or  back  where  there 
is  considerable  descent  from  the  base  of  the  w^alls.  A  little  in 
the  rear,  and  to  the  southeast,  just  outside  of  the  view,  is  a  deep  con- 
ical sink,  possibly  representing  an  extinct  cenote. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  the  point  of  view  chosen  should  bring  the 
rear  of  this  fine  group  into  the  foreground,  throwing  the  north 
facades  and  the  great  stairway  out  of  sight,  but  there  is  compensation 
in  the  fact  that  a  glimpse  is  obtained  of  the  east  facade  of  the  main 
building  and  the  south  end  of  the  Iglesia,  B.  We  are  able,  by  the 
aid  of  the  panoramic  view,  to  comprehend  at  a  glance  the  relation 
of  the  three  associated  structures  to  one  another  and  to  the  rest  of 
the   monuments. 

The  east  facade,  which  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  pieces 
of  architectural  work  in  Yucatan,  is  illustrated  by  Stephens,  and  a 
portion  of  it  is  shown  by  Charnay.  I  give  a  more  comprehensive 
view  in  PI.  X,  which  includes  the  Iglesia  as  well. 

The  main  building,  A,  is  composite  in  character,  and  represents 
apparently  two  or  three  successive  stages  or  epochs  of  growth,  and 
there  are,  besides,  some  indications  of  diversity  of  construction  and 
style.  A  hasty  study  shows  that  there  are  three  or  four  somewhat 
independent  sections  of  the  building;  first  the  L-shaped  wing  on  the 
ground  level  at  the  east  end;  second,  the  main  rectangular  mass  w-ith 
the  large  one-story  building  which  it  supports;  and  third,  the  small 
edifice  crowning  the  pile.  A  closer  analysis,  however,  gives  a 
different  result  in  part,  and  we  are  able  to  make  out  the  relation  of 
various  features  with  respect  to  their  order  of  construction.  The 
original  ground  story  structure  was  about  lOO  feet  long,  some- 
what less  in  width,  and  as  high  as  the  present  main  terrace.  It 
had  vertical  walls  with  moldings  at  the  top,  and  a  narrow  ledge 
around  the  base  some  ten  feet  above  the  ground,  corresponding  almos! 


Dec.   1895.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


107 


Fig.  29.     Sketch  of  South-West  Corner  of  Nunnery  or  Palace. 

Showing  breacli  in  encasing  masonry  and  character  of  inner  wall. 


Plan  of  Nunnery  or  Palace. 


Indicating  probable  stages  of  growth.    The  black  represents  the  nucleus,  the  gray  the  first 
addition,  the  white  the  second  addition,    d  and  e  are  annexes. 


io8  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

exactly  with  the  present  outer  profile.  It  was  apparently  a  solid 
body  of  masonr}^  built  to  support  the  present  superstructure,  with  a 
large  esplanade  on  the  north  at  the  head  of  the  stairway,  and  narrow 
ledges  on   the  east,  south  and  west. 

It  is  clear,  that  the  original  structure  was  completed  all  around 
before  the  great  mass  of  encasing  masonry,  some  twenty  feet  thick, 
was  added  on  the  three  sides,  forming  the  present  wide  terrace.  Evi- 
dence of  this  is  seen  in  the  present  north  wall  where  the  splicings  were 
made,  and  at  the  southwest  corner  v.diere  the  outer  shell  has  fallen 
away,  exposing  the  inner  wall  to  its  full  height,  as  shown  in  Fig.  29. 
The  relation  of  the  older  wall  and  profile  to  the  outer  wall  and  newer 
profile  is  clearly  shown  in  the  section,  Fig.  31.  It  would  seem  from 
these  facts  that  either  the  addition  of  encasing  masonry  was  not 
originally  contemplated,  or  that  unusual  methods  of  carrying  out  a 
construction  were  in  vogue.  These  conditions  are  nearly  identical 
with  those  observed  at  El  Meco  on  the  eastern  shore,  and  are  dupli- 
cated at  Palenque,  Uxmal,  and  elsewhere. 

Observing  the  very  narrow  ledge  or  esplanade  that  would 
be  left  on  the  ends  and  south  side  should  the  encasing  masonry  be 
removed,  I  am  led  to  inquire  how  the  doorways  of  these  portions 
of  the  building  could  have  been  entered  before  the  terrace  was 
added.  I  note  first  that  it  is  somewhat  unusual  to  find  buildings  of  this 
class  entered  from  the  back  opposite  the  stairway,  and  observe  further 
that  the  niche-like,  false  doorways,  seen  in  the  inner  wall  of  the  south 
chamber,  PI.  XI,  have  no  significance  as  they  stand  to-day.  I  am 
thus  led  to  surmise  that  the  south  wall  may  have  been  originally  im- 
perforate, and  that  access  to  the  south  rooms  may  have  been  ob- 
tained from  the  north  side,  b}'  doorwa3-s  now  represented  by  the  niches. 
The  filling  up  of  the  north  chambers  and  the  building  of  a  third  story 
chamber  must  have  made  it  necessary  to  undertake  extensive  changes 
in  the  way  of   terracing,  cutting  doorways  and  ornamenting  facades.* 

It  seems  highly  probable,  considering  all  visible  phenomena, 
that  the  fine  second  story  structure  belongs  to  the  original  period 
of  building,  and  it  is  surmised  that  the  small  crowning  structure 
is  of  late  date,  possibly  representing  the  latest  stage  of  growth.  The 
east,  or  ground-floor  wing  was  not  added  until  the  encasing  of  the 
central  mass  was  complete,  as  we  observe  that,  at  the  point  of  junction 
in -the  south  wall,  the  newer  masonry  is  built  to  fit  the  rounded  corner 
of  the  greater  mass.  Though  these  steps  are  apparent — and  others 
probably  remain  to  be  observed — it  seems  that  there  is  not  sufficient 
difference   in    architectural   style,    in   manner   of  construction,    or  in 

*  I  should  have  mentioned  the  occurrence  of  a  ledge  of  masonry  showing  in  the  surface  of  the 
platform  a  few  feet  from  the  south  and  cast  walls  of  the  building,  that  may  represent  an  early 
margin  of  the  esplanade.    This  ledge  is  indicated  in  the  panorama,  and  at  a  in  Fig.  31. 


Dec.    1895.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  109 

decoration  to  indicate  widely  separated  periods  of  building  or 
occupancy,  but  the  visible  stages  of  construction  are  significant  of 
prolonged  occupancy  of  the  site.  That  the  period  witnessed  many 
changes  would  seem  to  be  distinctly  indicated  by  differences  in  arch 
construction,  by  variations  in  the  profiles  of  the  buildings  and  by 
diversity  in  the  forms  taken  by  certain  decorative  motives. 

I  cannot  undertake  to  present  anything  like  a  full  description  of 
the  buildings,  but  shall  review  briefly  some  of  their  principal  features. 
The  general  plan  is  indicated  on  a  small  scale  on  the  accompanying 
map.  A  transverse  section  of  the  main  structure  is  presented  in  Fig. 
31.  Though  the  central  portions  are  not  fully  made  out  the  manner 
of  adding  the  encasing  masonry  of  the  pyramid  is  indicated  at  the 
left,  and  the  stairway,  having  similar  relations  to  the  mass,  appears 
at  the  right. 

Thirty-nine  steps  lead  from  the  ground  to  the  main  level  or 
esplanade  above — a  height  of  thirty-two  feet.  The  superposed  building 
sets  back  some  thirty  feet  from  the  head  of  the  stairs, and  has  a  space 
upwards  of  twenty  feet  wide  at  the  ends  and  on  the  south  side.  It  is 
about  ninety  feet  long,  thirty-two  feet  wide  and  eighteen  feet  in  height. 
It  appears  to  be  bi-symmetric  in  plan,  having  five  doorways  on  each 
side  and  one  on  each  end.  The  end  rooms  extend  entirely  across 
the  building.  The  lateral  tiers  comprise  three  apartments  each.  The 
middle  rooms  are  long  and  are  supplied  with  three  doorways  each. 
The  northern  tier  has  been  filled  up  with  masonry  presumably  to  form 
a  satisfactory  foundation  for  the  superposed  apartment.  The  end 
rooms  are  entered  by  single  doorways.  The  lateral  rooms  on  the 
west  are  nine  feet  wide  and  have  a  number  of  wall  niches,  re- 
sembling false  doorways,  at  the  back,  imperfectly  shown  at  the  right 
in  PI.  XL,  which   is  a  view  looking  west   in   the   long  hall. 

The  door  jambs,  the  lintels,  and  the  rounded  corners  of  the  build- 
ing are  formed  of  stones  of  large  size.  The  most  striking  peculiarity  of 
construction  is  the  retreating  profile  of  the  upper  wall,  as  seen  in  the 
section,  a  character  occurring  rather  rarely  in  Yucatec  buildings  but 
almost  universal  in  the  Usumacinta  province.  This  may  have  some 
significance  as  being  associated  with  what  may  well  be  considered 
the  most  ancient  building  now  standing  in  Chichen.  This  building 
is  also  unique  in  its  decorative  treatment.  The  lower  wall  is 
elaborately  embellished  with  geometric  sculptures  arranged  in  large 
panels,  one  to  each  section  of  the  wall  space,  as  seen  in  the 
panorama.  The  large  panels  in  the  ends  of  the  building  are  filled 
with  heavy  lattice  work  with  dentate  paneled  interspaces  and  the 
sixteen  side  panels  contain  boldly  sculptured,  geometric  patterns  not 
seen  elsewhere  in  this  group  of  remains,  but  corresponding  somewhat 


no         Field  Columbian  Museum— An  ihkopology,  Vol.  i. 

in  general  effect,  and  at  the  sides  in  some  details,  with   the  snouted- 
mask  panels  in  other  parts  of  the  building. 

The  crowning  edifice  is  reached  by  a  flight  of  twenty  steps,  in- 
terrupted medially  near  the  top  by  a  small  structure,  resembling  a 
flat-topped  dormer  window,  with  a  door-like  opening  in  the  front. 
This  may  have  served  as  a  shrine,  but  possibly  had  no  other  function 
than  that  of  widening  the  floor  space  in  front  of  the  building  above, 
or  of  mere  embellishment.  The  structure  above  is  some  thirty  feet 
long,  twelve  feet  wide  and  ten  or  eleven  feet  high.  It  is  said  to  have 
had  but  a  single  room,  and  is  now  in  an  advanced  state  of  demolition. 
As  seen  from  the  back  in  the  panorama  it  is  little  more  than  a  heap  of 
stones,  save  that  portions  of  the  north  wall  and  the  front  doorway  with 
its  lintel  are  intact.  Its  facade  is  remarkable  for  the  peculiar  use  of 
sculptured  stones,  stray  pieces  having  been  picked  up  and  used  without 
reference  to  the  partial  designs  carved  on  them.  This  surface  was 
probably  plastered,  or  intended  to  be  plastered,  if  constructed  by  the 
aboriginal  builders. 

The  single  story  L-shaped  eastern  wing  is,  so  far  as  the  exterior 
is  concerned,  a  superb  specimen  of  i\Iaya  building.  It  seems  to  stand 
nearly  on  the  normal  ground  level  and  is  sixty  feet  long  on  the  north 
and  thirty-five  feet  across  the  east  end,  or  top  of  the  L,  which  is  gen- 
erally regarded  as  the  front.  The  south  wing  or  foot  of  the  L  is  forty 
feet  long  and  about  twelve  feet  deep,  the  back  abutting  against  the 
pyramid.  The  height  is  about  twenty-three  feet.  The  apartments  of 
the  main  section  of  the  building  are  entered  by  three  doorways  on  the 
north,  one  on  the  east  front  and  two  on  the  south.  The  south  wing 
has  two  doors,  as  seen  in  the  panorama.  The  lower  wall  zone  con- 
tains the  doorways  and  has,  on  the  north  and  south  sides,  alternating 
with  the  doors,  the  usual  mask  and  lattice  decorations  in  panels, 
together  with  some  plain  spaces,  and  the  facade  on  the  east  is  filled 
with  two  tiers  of  the  great  snouted  masks  at  the  right  and  left  of  the 
fine  doorway.  The  upper  wall-zone  presents  one  of  the  most  richl}^ 
decorated  spaces  of  its  kind  in  America.  The  north  side  contains  six 
mask  panels,  with  three  rosette  panels  unsymmetrically  placed;  the 
east  facade  has  a  central  panel  over  the  door,  in  which  is  the  sitting 
figure,  described  farther  on,  and  grotesque  mask  panels  at  the  right 
and  left  with  corner-pieces  of  the  same.  The  south  side  has  one  mask 
panel  at  the  outer  end,  the  rest  of  the  space  being  plain  as  seen  in  the 
panorama.  The  moldings  separating  the  wall  zones  and  forming  the 
cornice  above  are  more  than  usually  elaborate,  embodying  many  taste- 
ful minor  moldings,  ghphs,  symbols  and  devices.  Even  the  flaring 
coping  stones  on  the  south  front  are  embellished  with  three  examples 
of  what  could  well  be  taken  for   Tlaloc  sj-mbols,    as  they  embody  a 


Dec.   1895-          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


Ill 


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112  Field  Coi.l'mp.iax   Museum — Axthropolocv,  Vol.    i. 

projecting  snout  and  five  or  six  pendant  lines  or   grooves,  suggesting 
the  rain  god  of  Mexico. 

The  panorama  gives  a  very  limited  idea  of  the  northern  annex  or 
Iglesia,  as  only  one  end  is  seen.  It  is  fourteen  feet  wide  and  twenty- 
six  feet  long,  and  the  building  proper  corresponds  closel}' in  height  to 
the  neighboring  structures,  but  the  facade  on  the  west  face  is  carried 
up  some  eight  or  ten  feet  higher,  repeating  the  conventional  orna- 
ments of  the  zone  below,  though  omitting  some  of  its  peculiar  feat- 
ures. This  flying  wall  is  quite  thick,  is  perforated  along  some  of  the 
lines  of  ornaments,  and  is  backed  with  masonry  lattice  work.  The 
lower  wall-zone  is  of  plain  masonr\',  formerly  plastered  and  painted, 
but  the  upper  walls  are  entirely  covered  with  boldly  sculptured  figure 
groups,  masks  and  moldings,  and  fairly  bristle  with  the  hook-like 
mask-snouts.  The  walls  incline  outward  slighth',  giving  the  build- 
ing a  top-heavy  look.  A  single  and  very  plain  doorway  gives  en- 
trance to  the  chamber  which  is  arched  as  usual  and  without  nota- 
ble features. 


Fig.  32.     Section  of  Larger  Annex,  Palace,  Chichen-Itza. 

a.  Arch  with  Ican-to  apex. 

b.  Doorway  with  stone  lintel;  North  side. 

In  the  panorama  the  outer  annex,  at  the  right,  C,  is  seen  from  the 
rear.      The  end  and  back  walls  are  quite  plain,  save  for  the  two  rigid 


Pl.  X.     East  I-acade  and  Iglesia,  Nunnery  or  Palace. 


The  east  front  of  the  ground-fioor  section  of  the  Palace  is  seen  at  the  left. 
It  is  characterized  by  unusually  bold  and  effective  ornament,  both  lower  and 
upper  wall-zones  being  covered  with  sculptures.  Two  lines  of  snouted  masks 
appear  in  the  lower  zone  and  one  line  in  the  upper.  The  medial  and  frieze 
moldings  are  embellished  with  geometric  ornaments  and  the  coping  course  is 
sculptured.  The  doorway  is  an  elegant  piece  of  work  and  is  unique  in  many 
respects.  Above  is  a  centerpiece  of  much  interest,  the  main  feature  of  which  is  a 
human  figure,  probably  representing  a  chief  deity,  in  high  relief,  seated  in  an 
arched  niche,  with  the  usual,  conventional,  feather  designs  at  the  right  and  left. 
At  the  right  is  the  Iglesia  annex,  a  single-room  structure,  similar  to  the  main 
building  in  general  treatment,  but  having  a  plain  lower  wall-zone.  The  fagade, 
which  is  on  the  west  side  and  not  visible  in  the  plate,  is  surmounted  by  a  high, 
richly  decorated  false  front.  Mask  snouts,  most  of  which  are  broken,  are  seen 
in  profile  at  the  corners.    Photograph  by  Dr.  C.  F.  Millspaugh. 


Dec.    1895.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico— Holmes.  113 

bands  of  moldings.  The  front  is  finished  and  ornamented  in  a  style 
resembling  the  adjoining  buildings,  the  lower  wall  being  plain  and  the 
upper  decorated  with  masks  alternating  with  lattice  panels.  It  is  a 
block-like  pile,  thirty-eight  feet  long,  fourteen  feet  wide  and  twenty 
feet  high,  and  contains  two  rooms  spanned  above  by  the  wedge- 
shaped  arch,  corbellate  as  usual  below,  but  finished  at  the  apex  with 
two  rows  of  leaning  stones  instead  of  horizontal  slabs,  as  seen  in  Fig. 
32.  The  entrance  proper  was  by  a  north  doorway  of  usual  style  to 
the  present  east  room,  and  from  this  a  doorway  led  into  a  west  room. 
A  second  doorway  opened  through  the  east  wall  into  an  apart- 
ment now  entirely  removed;  the  contact  lines  seen  on  the  wall  indicat- 
ing that  it  was  of  inferior  size. 

In  its  decorative  features  this  group  of  structures  is  of  exceptional 
interest  and  may  be  spoken  of  at  some  length.  The  facade  of  the 
east  wing  of  the  main  building,  and  the  west  face  or  front  of  the  smaller 
annex  or  Iglesia,  are  marvels  of  elaboration,  boldness  of  sculpture, 
and  originality  of  design.  In  the  former  case  the  decorations  cover 
the  front  from  base  to  coping,  and  this  is  true  of  parts  of  the  north 
and  south  walls,  but  in  the  latter  case  and  in  all  the  other  grovmd- 
floor  walls,  the  lower  zone  is  plain.  A  reversal  of  this  order  is  seen 
in  the  main  second-story  building,  where  the  lower  zone  is  decorated, 
and  the  upper  zone,  which  is  sloping,  is  plain.  In  this  upper  build- 
ing we  have  only  geometric  motives;  in  the  other  cases  the  leading 
motive  is  the  grotesque  snouted  mask.  The  lattice  motive  worked 
out  in  many  styles  occurs  throughout  the  group.  In  some  places  this 
motive  alternates  with  the  mask,  and  again^the  mask  occupies  the  en- 
tire space. 

In  the  walls  of  the  central  sub-structure  the  only  decoration  is  a 
frieze  band,  some  five  feet  wide  (see  panorama),  in  which  the  mask 
panels  alternate  with  lattice  panels,  boldly  sculptured  masks  occupying 
the  corner  spaces.  In  the  north  wall  of  the  east  wing  of  the  main 
building,  effective  rosette  designs,  possibly  developed  from  the  lattice 
motive,  alternate  with  masks.  The  probable  significance  of  this  asso- 
ciation of  decorative  elements  in  Maya  structures  will  be  dwelt  upon 
in  a  subsequent  section. 

Three  special  groups  of  sculpture  are  observed.  The  most  strik- 
ing is  that  of  a  human  figure  of  about  life  size  occupying  a  recessed 
panel  over  the  door  in  the  main  facade  of  the  east  wing.  The  much 
mutilated  figure  is  sculptured  mainly  in  the  round  and  is  seated  on  the 
sill  of  the  niche.  It  is  supplied  with  an  elaborate  head-dress  and  sur- 
rounded by  an  arched  framework  of  radiating  dentals,  possibly  repre- 
senting feathers  or  light-rays.  Outside  of  this,  but  still  within  the 
panel,  are  scroll-plumes  of  the  type  seen  at  the  right  and   left   in   all 


114         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

the  mask  panels,  thus  suggesting  the  identity  of  the  idea  involved -in 
masks  and  in  figure.  The  panel  is  bordered  or  framed  in  at  the 
right  and  left  and  above  by  two  serpents  whose  bodies  are  covered 
with  zig-zag,  water-symbol  lines,  the  heads  facing  each  other  at  the 
top.  The  doorway  below  is  a  remarkable  example  of  Maya  portal 
treatment,  in  which  the  snout-hook  motive  is  effectively  employed  in 
decorating  spaces  at  the  sides  and  over  the  lintel.  The  stone  lintel 
exhibits  two  lines  of  glyphs,  interrupted  in  the  middle  by  a  gro- 
tesque ornament.  The  remainder  of  the  facade  spaces  are  occupied 
by  the  great  snouted  masks  and  by  the  varied  and  elaborate  mold- 
ings.     These  features  are  shown  in  PI.  X. 

The  other  special  features  referred  to  are  found  in  the  main  or 
western  facade  of  the  smaller  annex  or  Iglesia,  not  visible  either  in 
the  panorama  or  in  the  plate.  The  middle  portion  of  the  main 
decorated  wall-zone  is  occupied  by  an  especially  striking  and  elabo- 
rate snouted  mask  nine  feet  long  by  five  feet  high,  against  the  brow  of 
which  was  set  a  human  figure  of  approximately  life  size,  now  nearly 
destroyed.  Next  this  mask  at  the  sides  are  two  deep  niches,  each 
occupied  by  sculptured  figures  in  full  relief.  In  the  space  at  the  left 
is  the  figure  of  a  man  facing  another  figure  not  sufficiently  complete 
to  be  readily  made  out;  in  the  right-hand  niche  are  two  human 
figures,  one  facing  to  the  left  and  the  other  to  the  front.  They  are 
seated  on  horizontal  ledges  of  stone,  beneath  which  are  obliquely 
placed  stones  suggesting  the  legs  of  a  bench.  No  doubt  these 
groups,  as  well  as  the  various  other  zoomorphic  subjects  in  all  parts 
of  the  group  of  buildings,  were  symbolic  and  significant  in  their 
particular  associations. 

Beside  these  principal  subjects,  occupying  the  great  spaces,  there 
are  several  varieties  of  subordinate  ornament  filling  molding  sur- 
faces, narrow  zones  and  minor  spaces.  They  include  headings, 
dentals,  zig-zags,  guilloches,  scrolls,  frets,  etc.,  and  greatly  enhance 
the  richness  of  the  effects.  The  walls,  exterior  and  interior,  have 
been  carefully  plastered,  smoothed  and  painted;  and  in  various  places 
designs  in  color  have  been  added,  traces  of  which  are  yet  seen  within 
the  rooms  of  the  second  story  structure. 

Akab-tzib.  a  few  hundred  feet  beyond  the  Iglesia  annex  of  the 
Palace,  at  the  right  in  the  panorama,  is  a  low  rectangular  building 
known  by  the  name  of  Akab-tzib.  It  has  a  ver}- limited  architectural 
interest,  and  may  be  passed  by  w'ithout  lengthy  comment.  It  is  built 
on  the  original  surface  of  the  ground  and  on  the  west  margin  of  a 
great,  conical  sink  which  is  irregular  in  outline  and  measures  in 
greatest  diameter  some  three  hundred  or  four  hundred  feet,  and 
has  a  depth  of  thirty  or  forty    feet.      The    length    of    the    building, 


Pl.  XI.    A  Characteristic  Maya  Vaulted  Chamber. 


\' ievv  looking  west  in  the  long  chamber,  south  front  of  the  main  upper 
building  of  the  Nunnery  or  Palace,  Chichen-Itza.  The  masonry  is  fairly  well  laid, 
but  the  stones  are  irregular  in  shape  and  imperfectly  faced.  The  original  coat- 
ings of  plaster  are  largely  removed,  but  remnants  retain  traces  of  elaborate  paint- 
ings. The  doorways  are  at  the  left,  while  at  the  right  are  seen  four  recesses  20 
inches  deep  and  resembling  doorways  in  their  construction. 

The  length  of  the  room  is  47  feet,  the  width  7  feet,  and  the  full  height  to 
capstones  of  the  vault  some  14  feet. 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM 


ANTHROPOLOGY,  PL.  XI. 


A  Characteristic  Maya  Vaulted  Chamber. 


Dec.    1895.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  115 

according  to  my  rather  unsatisfactory  measurements,  is  about  one 
hundred  and  sixty-five  feet,  its  width  forty-eight  feet  and  its  height 
eighteen  feet.  The  walls  are  thick,  well  built  and  faced  inside  and 
out  with  neatly  hewn  stone,  but  there  is  a  total  absence  of  sculptured 
decoration,  the  facades  being  broken  only  by  the  usual  medial  and 
upper  lines  of  rigid  moldings,  and  by  offsets  in  the  north  and  south 
walls. 

The  west  facade  is  broken  into  three  nearly  equal  sections  by 
two  shallow  vertical  recesses  three  feet  six  inches  wide.  The  middle 
part,  fifty-six  feet  long,  is  set  a  little  back  and  contains  three  door- 
ways. The  wall  here  is  much  broken  down,  and  it  is  said  by  Stephens 
that  the  space  was  formerly  occupied  by  a  stairway,  though  no  traces 
of  it  are  now  to  be  found.  The  east  wall,  facing  the  sink,  is  inter- 
rupted by  an  abutting  body  of  masonry  which  seems  to  have  been 
built  to  strengthen  the  center  of  the  structure  on  that  side,  possibly 
with  the  idea  in  view  of  adding  a  second  story  building.  This 
theory  is  confirmed  by  the  fact  that  the  eastern  apartments  behind 
this  projection  are  filled  in  solid.  The  stairway  would  naturally 
occupy  the  opposite  space  on  the  west  side,  but  it  seems  to  be  doubt- 
ful if  this  feature  had  yet  been  added  when  building  operations  ceased. 
The  north  and  south  sections  of  the  building  are  each  some  fifty- 
two  feet  long  and  have  two  doors  on  the  east  side,  two  on  the  west, 
while  one  door  enters  from  the  south  end,  and  one  from  the  north. 

Having  lost  my  plan  of  the  building  I  am  unable  to  describe  the 
apartments  in  detail.  There  are  said  to  be  eighteen  rooms — a  greater 
number  than  in  any  other  building  in  Chichen.  All  are  spanned  by 
the  usual  arch.  The  roof  is  flat  and  perfectly  preserved  and  supports 
a  dense  growth  of  forest  trees. 

The  only  feature  of  especial  interest  connected  with  this  build- 
ing is  an  inscribed  lintel  found  between  two  apartments  at  the 
south  end,  and  illustrated  by  both  Stephens  and  Charnay.  The 
seated  figure  of  a  man  in  low  relief,  with  inscriptions  at  the  right  and 
left,  occupies  the  under  side  of  the  lintel  and  a  double  line  of  glyphs 
covers  the  face.  The  light  is  dim  at  this  point,  and  the  inscription 
came  to  be  called  Akab-tzib,  or  writing  in  the  dark,  by  the  Maya 
residents,  thus  furnishing  a  name  for  the  building.  My  sketches  do 
not  make  it  clear  whether  the  doorway  in  the  south  end  of  this  build- 
ing, by  which  the  inscription  doorway  is  reached,  is  in  the  middle  of 
the  wall,  as  in  the  panorama,  or  toward  one  side. 

The  Round  Tower  or  Caracol.  About  two  hundred  feet  to  the 
west  of  Akab-tzib  are  the  remains  of  two  structures  of  inferior  dimen- 
sions. The  eastern  one,  almost  leveled  with  the  ground,  exhibits 
cut  stone  and   remnants  of  round   columns.      The  other   is   a   small 


ii6  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i, 

pyramidal  mound  some  twenty  feet  in  height.  To  the  left  of  this, 
and  just  over  the  Iglesia  in  the  panorama,  is  the  most  unique  and 
extraordinary  structure  in  Yucatan.  It  is  the  Caracol  or  winding 
stair,  so  called  because  of  a  spiral  passageway  extending  upward 
through  the  columnar,  central  mass  of  the  building.  Such  accounts 
of  this  building  as  have  come  to  my  notice  are  meager  and  full  of 
inaccuracies,  and  my  description  may,  therefore,  be  as  full  as  my 
observations  will  permit.  At  best  much  will  yet  remain  to  be  brought 
out.  In  orientation  this  structure  agrees  pretty  closely  with  the  points 
of  the  compass,  and  the  exterior  doorways  accord  in  placement  with 
the  sides  of  the  terraces.  As  clearly  indicated  in  the  panorama,  the 
ruin  comprises  three  principal  features,  a  wide  foundation  terrace,  a 
smaller  upper  terrace  and  a  turret-like  superstructure. 

The  lower  terrace  measures  about  220  feet  from  north  to  south, 
150  from  east  to  west,  and  is  twenty  feet  high.  The  faces  are  verti- 
cal in  a  general  wa}',  and  consist  of  a  plain  zone  below,  twelve  feet 
wide,  and  a  heavy  two-member  cornice  at  the  top  six  feet  wide.  The 
masonry  facing  is  irregular  and  open,  but  was  probably  fully  plastered 
during  the  period  of  occupation.  The  stairway  is  on  the  west  side, 
and  is  some  forty-five  feet  wide,  and  bordered  originally  by  balus- 
trades, formed,  as  in  other  cases  in  Chichen,  of  colossal  serpents, 
the  heads  resting  on  the  ground.  The  second  terrace  is  some  sixty 
by  eighty  feet  in  horizontal  extent  and  is  twelve  feet  high.  The 
stairway  seems  to  correspond  in  character  and  position  with  the 
lower  flight,  though  I  was  not  able  to  give  it  deserved  attention. 

The  ruined  turret  occupies  a  central  position  on  the  upper  level, 
and  is  about  thirty-nine  feet  in  diameter  and  nearly  the  same  in 
height.  Its  state  of  demolition  is  such  that  the  exterior  conforma- 
tion cannot  be  fully  made  out,  and  the  section  given  in  Fig.  33  leaves 
portions  of  the  upper  profile  in  doubt,  as  indicated  by  the  dotted 
lines.  The  ground  plan  is  presented  in  Fig.  34.  It  is  seen  that  there 
are  two  concentric  circular  walls,  inclosing  two  annular  galleries  and 
a  central  core.  The  walls  approximate  two  and  one-half  feet  in 
thickness,  the  outer  being  pierced  by  four  doorways  placed  to  coin- 
cide with  the  points  of  the  compass,  and  the  inner  by  four  doorways 
alternating  in  position  with  the  outer  ones,  though  not  quite  equally 
spaced. 

The  central  core  is  about  seven  feet  in  diameter  at  the  base 
and  eight  feet  at  the  spring  of  the  arch,  some  eight  or  ten  feet  from 
the  floor.  The  outer  inclosure  or  annular  chamber  is  five  feet 
wide  and  about  100  feet  in  circvmiference  as  measured  along  the 
outer  margin.  The  height  of  the  walls  to  the  offset  at  the  spring  of 
the  arch  is  about  ten  feet.   The  arch  is  narrow  and  acutely  pointed 


Dec.    1895.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


117 


Fig.  33,     Section  of  Round  Tower  or  Caracol. 

With  its  terraces  and  hypothetic  profile  of  upper  portion  of  turrets. 


VuU- J-  LL-U  )-J-  i-L  J-^-UUX-LLJ-LU.  1-LUU-LU-U.' J-UJ-J-UJ-JJ-La^' 


\^-i'->nn-i/-r-i-i-in  n-.-— l-iOv— 1- 


inJl 


Fig.  34.     Plan  of  Round  Tower  or  Caracol. 

With  its  terraces  ana  stairways      Dotted  surface  indicates  upper  platform. 


ii8         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

above,  the  full  height  from  the  floor  being  about  twenty-four  feet. 
The  inner  space  is  also  nearly  five  feet  wide,  and  corresponds  in  gen- 
eral character  with  the  outer  gallery,  but  the  arch  is  not  so  high  by 
three  or  foiir  feet.  As  seen  in  the  section,  the  arches  are  not  sym- 
metric in  profile,  the  outer  soffit  slope  being  slightly  greater  than  the 
inner  in  both  cases.  The  central  column  expands  above  to  form  the 
soffit  of  the  vault,  and  is  twelve  or  thirteen  feet  in  diameter  at  the 
apex  of  the  arch. 

The  conformation  and  constructive  peculiarities  of  the  build- 
ing are  clearly  shown  in  the  graphic  section  presented  in  PI. 
XII.  Novel  features  of  the  construction  of  the  inner  arch  are  the 
bracing  of  the  walls  with  numerous  wooden  beams  and  with  connect- 
ing walls  of  masonry.  There  are  three  of  the  latter,  two  of  which 
appear  in  the  plate,  that  at  the  left  being  somewhat  out  of  drawing, 
as  it  should  connect  with  the  enclosing  wall  farther  to  the  front. 
They  are  supported  on  heavy  stone  beams  spanning  the  vault  at  the 
spring  of  the  arch,    and  reach  upward  to  the  apex. 

The  outer  wall  of  each  vault  is  a  kind  of  lean-to,  as  the  inner 
section  of  the  building  was  probably  completed  in  a  sense  before  the 
next  outer  portion  was  added.  The  inner  slope  rises  at  a  steep 
angle,  the  outer  coming  forward  to  meet  it  at  a  lower  angle.  The 
stones  are  arranged  toward  the  top  to  approximate  the  effect  of  the 
keystone  arch.  I  have  drawn  the  central  columnar  core  complete 
that  its  character  and  relations  might  be  more  clearly  brought  out, 
though  the  section  is  as  a  result  somewhat  warped. 

The  entrance  to  that  remarkable  feature  of  the  tower,  the  so- 
called  winding  stairway,  is  shown  in  this  drawing.  The  opening  is 
about  twenty-two  inches  wide  and  from  twenty-five  to  thirty-five 
inches  high.  It  is  capped  with  a  heavy  lintel-stone  dressed  with  the 
curve  of  the  wall;  the  sides  or  jambs  are  rather  rudely  built,  and  the 
base,  though  quite  irregular,  is  carefully  plastered  over,  showing  that 
no  well-hewn  sill  was  ever  used.  This  opening  is  some  ten  feet 
from  the  floor.  By  piling  up  debris  below  I  was  able  to  crawl  into 
the  dark  passage.  There  are  irregular  steps,  rudely  laid,  the  walls 
are  reasonably  smooth,  and  the  ceiling  rises  in  steps  corresponding 
somewhat  with  the  stairs.  The  passage  turns  to  the  right,  ascending 
at  an  angle  of  perhaps  forty-five  or  fifty  degrees,  is  dark  and  barely 
large  enough  to  permit  the  passage  of  a  single  person  of  medium  size. 
Having  crawled  upward  some  fifteen  feet,  making  meantime  nearly 
one  circuit  of  the  building,  my  head  came  out  among  the  bushes  on 
the  steep  broken  slope  facing  the  northeast  and  a  little  inside  of  and 
above  the  apex  of  the  outer  arch.  Cutting  away  the  brush,  it 
was  not  difficult  to  get  out  and  creep  upward  to  the  crest,  some  twelve 
feet  higher. 


Pl.  XII.    Graphic  Section  of  the  Caracol  or  Round  Tower. 


This  building  consists  of  two  turrets — a  smaller  superposed  upon  a  larger. 
The  lower  is  some  39  feet  in  diameter  and  28  feet  in  height;  the  upper — in  an  ad- 
vanced state  of  ruin — approximates  20  feet  in  diameter  and  12  feet  in  height. 
Details  of  the  restored  profile  are  theoretic.  This  building  is  unique  in  its  two 
annular  galleries,  its  central  column,  its  winding  stairway  and  its  nearly  solid 
second  story. 

aa.    Doorways  in  outer  wall,  facing  east  and  west. 

bb.    Outer  annular  gallery,  5  feet  wide. 

c.  Inner  annular  gallery,  5  feet  wide. 

d.  Central  column  of  masonry,  7  feet  in  diameter  at  base. 

e.  Entrance  to  winding  stair. 

/  Stone,  supporting  buttress  walls  (incorrectly  connected  in  the  draw- 
ing) which  are  intended  to  strengthen  the  arch. 

g.    Stone  in  place  indicating  verticality  of  the  entablature. 

//.     Masonry  at  side  of  entrance  to  tunnel  in  upper  turret. 

/.     Stone  in  place  indicating  verticality  of  upper  entablature. 

j.  Section  of  tunnel  passing  through  upper  turret  and  probably  connect- 
ing directly  or  indirectly  with  the  upper  opening  of  the  winding 
stair. 

k.     Section  of  stair-passage  near  upper  end. 


Dec.   1895.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  119 

Where  the  original  termination  of  the  passage  was  located  can- 
not now  be  made  out  but  I  incline  to  the  view  that  it  was  upon  the  ter- 
race floor  surrounding  the  upper  turret,  or  possibly  in  a  small  gallery 
perforating  the  upper  mass  horizontally,  as  such  a  gallery  was  found 
passing  through  the  turret  from  east  to  west.  This  passageway  is 
one  of  the  numerous  unique  features  of  the  structure.  It  is 
thirty-six  inches  high,  twenty-two  inches  wide  and  about  ten  feet 
long,  and  is  faced  with  cut-stone  as  indicated  in  the  section.  What 
appears  to  be  a  door  or  window,  seen  on  the  west  side  of  the  summit, 
but  not  visible  in  the  drawing,  is  only  the  opening  of  this  passage 
finished  with  jambs  and  lintel  of  cut  stone.  It  is  probable  that  the 
other  openings  in  the  tottering  summit-mass,  seen  from  the  southwest, 
are  of  like  character,  or  otherwise  only  dummy  doorways.  This  point 
could  not  be  determined  as  the  masonry  was  in  such  an  unstable 
state  that  it  was  unsafe  to  venture  farther  along  the  steep  margins 
of  the  tower. 

So  far  as  I  could  make  out,  there  appears  to  be  no  room  in  the 
narrow,  summit  remnant  of  masonry  for  chambers.  The  east  en- 
trance to  the  passageway  just  referred  to  is  broken  down  and  the 
opening  is  seen  in  the  crumbling  slope.  The  floor  is  about  four  feet 
above  the  crest  of  the  higher  or  outer  arch  and  the  opening  in  the 
ragged  masonry  slope  is  so  situated  with  respect  to  the  opening  of 
the  winding  stairs  as  to  give  the  impression  that  the  two  passages 
may  have  met  somewhere  in  that  part  of  the  body  of  masonry  now 
broken  down.  It  is  more  likely,  however,  that  both  opened  upon  the 
upper  surface  of  the  great  turret,  the  one  horizontally  and  the  other 
from  below. 

As  I  had  no  time  to  verify  the  orientations  and  measurements 
here  given  they  may  be  somewhat  inaccurate,  but  this  will  not  seri- 
ously affect  the  general  description. 

The  exterior  conformation  of  this  strange  tower  can  be  made  out 
in  part  only.  The  lower  wall  is  of  ordinary  masonry,  finished  in 
plaster  and  broken  only  by  the  four  entrances.  It  rises  nine  or  ten 
feet  to  the  base  of  the  formidable,  five-membered  molding,  which  pro- 
jects two  feet  from  the  wall  face  and  is  five  feet  in  width,  being  the 
only  example  of  its  kind  in  Yucatan.  The  upper  margin  is  opposite 
the  middle  of  the  arch  slope  within,  as  seen  in  the  section.  The 
masonry  at  this  level  is  four  feet  thick. 

In  studying  this  part  of  the  building  the  very  interesting  ques- 
tion arose  as  to  whether  the  exterior  wall  surface  above  this  molding 
rose  vertically  or  whether  it  sloped  inward  toward  the  upper  turret.  I 
had  the  good  fortune  to  find  one  vertical  stone,  representing  the  first 
course  above  the  molding,  in  place,  and   this    I  regard   as  conclusive 


I20         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

proof  that  tlie  upper  wall-zone  was  vertical.  This  conclusion  is  con- 
firmed b}'  the  fact  that  in  all  cases  in  Yucatan  and  Chiapas,  so  far  as  I 
have  observed,  where  the  upper  mural  zone  slopes,  it  includes  with  it  in 
the  slope  not  only  all  the  courses  above  the  medial  moldings,  but  the 
medial  moldings  themselves,  whereas  in  this  case  the  moldings  are 
vertical. 

Examining  the  engraving,  published  by  Stephens,  of  a  similar, 
but  single-walled  round  tower  at  Mayapan,  an  ancient  Maya  center,  I 
find  that  the  dome-like  slope  represented  does  not  have  the  appear- 
ance of  an  original  roof  or  inclined  entablature  surface,  but  rather 
that  of  the  slope  of  the  vault  as  it  would  appear  if  the  outer  ma- 
sonry, occupying  the  space  between  the  vault  and  the  vertical  facade, 
had  slid  off  or  gradually  crumbled  away,  leaving  the  vault  shell  ex- 
posed. 

A  rise  of  seven  or  eight  feet  from  the  top  of  the  medial  molding, 
with  three  or  four  feet  added  for  an  upper  molding  and  coping  course, 
would  bring  the  facade  up  to  the  base  of  the  row  of  exterior  openings 
seen  in  the  upper  pinnacle  of  the  caracol  ruin. 

The  upper  part  of  the  structure  is  in  an  advanced  state  of 
ruin,  the  apex  of  the  outer  arch  is  exposed  or  broken  away  nearly  all 
around  and  the  inner  one  is  exposed  in  places,  while  the  turret  with 
its  three  window-like  openings  facing  the  south  and  west  is  a  totter- 
ing crag.  The  restoration  suggested  in  Fig.  2,  though  not  far  wrong  in  a 
general  way,  probably  does  not  allow  for  a  sufficient  number  of  open- 
ings in  the  upper  turret. 

It  is  remarkable  that  this  building  should  be  without  sculptured 
ornament,  though  there  is  a  possibility  that  the  upper  wall-zone  of 
both  turrets  has  been  embellished.  An  examination  of  the  heaps 
of  debris  w^ill  determine  this  point. 

Some  authors  are  inclined  to  attribute  the  erection  of  this  build- 
ing to  foreign  influence,  possibly  to  the  worship  of  Quetzalcoatl,  intro- 
duced b}^  a  colony  of  Aztecs,  but  so  far  as  the  design  is  concerned  it 
is  not  Aztec,  and  the  construction  is  purely  Yucatec  in  every  detail. 
It  has,  so  far  as  I  can  discover,  no  striking  analogies  with  Nahuatl 
work. 

Chichanchob  or  Red  House.  About  400  feet  northv/est  of  the 
Caracol  stands  the  so-called  Red  House,  D  in  the  panorama,  the 
best  preserved  of  the  Chichen  buildings.  It  is  accurately  oriented 
and  fronts  west  so  that  blank  walls  only  face  the  observer  in  my  view. 
The  supporting,  vertical-faced  terrace  is  ten  or  twelve  feet  high,  sixty 
feet  long  from  north  to  south  and  a  little  less  in  width.  It  is  faced 
with  ordinary  masonry,  large  blocks  forming  the  rounded  corners 
and  a  heavy  cornice  projection  or  molding  appearing  at  the  top.       The 


Dec.    1895.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  121 

stairway  is  on  the  west  side,  is  twenty  feet  wide  and  has  about  sixteen 
hewn-stone  steps. 

The  superstructure  occupies  a  central  position  on  the  terrace, 
and  is  a  Httle  more  than  twenty  by  forty  feet  in  horizontal  extent, 
and  is  about  twenty  feet  high  to  the  roof.  Additional  height  is  given 
by  a  false  front,  five  or  six  feet  in  height,  decorated  with  open-work 
composite  sculptures  in  which  are  included,  in  the  principal  line, 
three  narrow,  horizontally-elongated  masks  in  the  usual  style.  Viewed 
from  the  south,  the  end  of  a  similar  wall  is  seen  on  the  roof  midway 
on  the  south  side.  This  wall  probably  takes  the  character  of  a  roof- 
crest  and  may  extend  the  full  length  of  the  building  on  the  line  of 
the  medial  wall. 

Both  zones  of  the  wall  proper  show  nothing  but  plain  masonry 
and  the  moldings  are  simplified  to  two  members  each.  The  three 
rather  high  doorways  are  faced  with  hewn  stone  and  open  into  a 
narrow  vestibule  extending  the  full  length  of  the  building.  From  this 
vestibule  three  other  doorways  enter  as   many   rooms   behind. 

The  interior  surfaces  were  plastered  and  painted,  but  the  building 
has  been  occupied  a  good  deal  in  post-conquest  times  and  it  is  pos- 
sible that  the  dado  in  red  (which  may  have  given  name  to  the  house) 
and  some  of  the  borders  in  blue  are  of  late  date.  A  line  of  glyphs, 
reproduced  by  Stephens,  extends  the  full  length  of  the  vestibule  over 
the  back  doorways.  The  walls  within  and  without  have  been  repeat- 
edly finished  in  plaster  and  color.  Engravings  of  this  building  are 
given  by  Stephens  and  Charnay. 

Western  Pyramid-Temple.  Northwest,  again,  from  the  Red 
House,  and  some  200  feet  distant  is  another  small  pyramid  or 
terrace,  E  in  the  panorama,  crowned  with  the  ruins  of  a  three- 
chambered  temple  facing  south.  The  terrace  is  sixty-four  feet 
square,  according  to  Stephens,  and  the  style  of  the  building  corre- 
sponds closely  with  other  like  structures  in  Chichen.  It  is  now  so 
fully  overgrown  and  so  badly  ruined  that  I  did  not  attempt  to  study  it. 

Middle  Group.  Casting  the  eye  to  the  right  again,  we  observe 
near  the  center  of  the  panoramic  field  the  remains  of  another  small 
pyramid-temple,  G,  and  in  front  of  it  on  the  east  and  less  than 
100  feet  away,  is  a  low  pile  that  represents  an  inferior  structure 
of  the  same  class.  Between  these  ruins  is  a  low  mound  twenty  or 
thirty  feet  square  and  a  few  feet  in  height,  and  east  of  the  small 
temple  is  another  similar  pile.  These  mounds  contain  tombs,  as 
demonstrated  by  Mr.  Thompson,  whose  report  on  them  will  no 
doubt  be  replete    with   interest. 

The  principal  pyramid  of  the  group  is  about  twenty-five 
feet  high   and  perhaps  sixty  or  seventy  feet  square  at  the  base.      The 


122          Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

sides  are  steep  and  the  ascent  is  made  by  a  partially  preserved  stair- 
way on  the  east  face.  The  balustrades  represent  huge  serpents  with 
incised,  twined-fiUet  patterns  on  the  flat  upper  surface,  and  fine 
heads  with  wide  open  mouths  and  protruding  tongues  extending 
forward  on  the  ground.  Near  the  top  on  the  edge  of  a  narrow,  level 
space,  are  the  remains  of  two  square,  serpent  columns,  the  heads  ex- 
tending forward  and  connecting  somewhat  closely  with  the  upper  end 
of  the  balustrades.  From  this  level  space,  probably  occupied  by  a 
vestibule,  eight  or  ten  steps  rise  to  the  main  level.  Passing  through 
a  doorway,  now  nearly  obliterated,  we  enter  what  was  apparently 
a  larwe  apartment,  where  the  remains  of  six  square  columns,  doubt- 
less roof  supports,  are  still  traceable.  Although  this  temple  was 
not  as  large  as  some  others,  it  was,  in  the  days  of  Chichen's  prime, 
certainly  a  superior  specimen  of  its  class. 

El  Castillo.  We  come  now  to  the  noblest  monument  of 
Chichen,  the  so-called  Castillo  or  Castle,  K,  seen  near  the  middle 
portion  of  the  panorama  rising  grandly  above  the  forest-covered 
plain.  It  is  a  pyramid-temple  of  the  first  order  and  bears  testimony 
to  the  developing  taste  of  the  Itzas  as  well  as  to  their  capacity  for  de- 
sio'ning  and  carrying  out  constructional  enterprises  of  grand  pro- 
portions. A  distant  view  of  this  structure  is  given  in  PI.  XIII.  It  is 
perhaps  as  nearly  a  consistent  unit  of  building,  according  to  our 
estimate,  as  can  be  found  in  the  Maya  country,  though  there  are  still 
suo'o'estions  of  lack  of  maturity  and  refinement.  It  embodies  only 
two  principal  features,  the  square,  terraced  pyramid  and  the  block- 
like superstructure.  The  pyramid  is  between  seventy-five  and  eighty 
feet  hio^h  and  measures  some  200  feet  square  at  the  base  and 
about  sixty  feet  square  at  the  top.  The  stepped  sides  rise  at  an 
ano-le  of  fifty  degrees.  The  stairways  incline  a  few  degrees  less 
and  hence  project  slightly  beyond  the  pyramid  at  the  base.  The 
slopes  rise  in  nine  steps  of  eight  or  nine  feet  each,  the  terrace  offsets 
being  somewhat  narrower.  The  rises  incline  inward  a  few  degrees 
and  are  faced  with  well-hewn  stone  neatly  laid  in  mortar  and  deeply 
paneled  or  coffered,  thus  diversifying  an  effect  that  would  otherwise 
be  extremely  monotonous.  The  stairways,  four  in  number*,  assist 
also  in  breaking  up  the  severity  of  the  pyramidal  mass.  They  are  con- 
structed of  small  blocks  of  roughly  hewn  stone,  now  much  displaced 
in  places. 

The  whole  surface  was  probably  evened  up  with  plaster  and 
finished  in  color.      The  temple  fronts  a  few  degrees  east  of  north  and 


*I  am  not  positive  of  the  presence  of  a  stairway  on  the  east,  as  I  failed  to  examine  that 
side,  but  the  probabilities  are  very  strong  that  the  four  slopes  of  the  pyramid  are  practically 
symmetrical. 


Pl.  XIII.    Temple  of  the  Tigers  and  El  Castillo. 


This  view  is  taken  from  the  south  end  of  the  west  wall  of  the  gymnasium, 
looking  east.  In  the  foreground  at  the  left  is  the  solid  mass  of  the  east  wall  of 
the  gymnasium  supporting  the  ruined  Temple  of  the  Tigers.  The  plain  hewn- 
stone  wall  is  seen  below,  and  rising  from  its  margin  to  the  temple  level  is  the  short 
stairway.  The  fa<;ade  of  the  temple  has  disappeared  save  the  lateral  piers  and 
the  stumps  of  two  great  serpent  columns  which  stood  in  the  portal;  the  open 
mouths  of  the  serpents,  showing  nostrils  and  bulbous  fangs,  face  the  observer. 
Back  of  the  columns  is  the  rear  wall  of  the  vestibule,  with  its  characteristic 
masonry,  and  the  doorway  which  leads  to  the  pictured  sanctuary.  The  end  wall 
of  the  vestibule  is  seen  at  the  right  sloping  to  a  point  above,  while  one  of  the  cap- 
stones of  the  vault  is  seen  in  place  at  the  left.  Beyond  this  temple  at  the  right 
is  the  superb  temple  called  El  Castillo,  105  feet  in  height.  The  pyramid  with  its 
stairways,  paneled  terraces  and  neatly  bound  corners,  is  much  obscured  by  veg- 
etation. The  west  face  of  the  temple,  with  its  plain  doorway  and  simple  frieze  and 
cornice,  is  clearly  seen,  but  the  north  facpade,  in  which  occurs  the  wide  main  en- 
trance and  its  fine  serpent  columns,  is  but  imperfectly  represented. 


Dec.    1895.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico— Holmes. 


123 


otfi<y5 


rm 

»  o  0  r 

.     O        '^ 


n  3  ; 

3  <-►■ 
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124         Field  Colu.miuan  Museum— Anjhropologv,   Vol.    i. 

the  stairwa\'  on  that  side  is,  according  to  Stephens,  forty-four  feet 
wide  and  contains  ninetj^  steps.  The  balustrades  terminate  below, 
as  in  other  cases,  in  colossal  serpents'  heads.  The  serpent  idea  was 
carried  out  probably  in  the  other  stairways,  and  it  is  assumed  also  in 
the  corners  of  the  pyramid,  on  which  may  be  seen,  following  in  and 
out  the  nine  terrace  steps,  the  displaced  stones  that  must  have 
formed  the  colossal  bodies.  I  counted  ninety-two  steps  on  the  west 
side,  and  found  the  rises  to  average  about  eleven  inches  and  the 
treads  about  ten  inches.  It  is  probable  that  there  was  a  pretty  close 
agreement  in  the  principal  features  in  all  the  flights,  though  the 
main  front  may  have  been  favored  with  more  elaborate  sculptures. 

The  temple  occupies  the  summit  so  completely  that  the  esplanade 
is  only  about  five  feet  wide  on  the  west,  south  and  east  and  from  ten 
to  twelve  feet  on  the  north  front.  The  exterior  wall  measurements 
vary  considerably  with  the  level  at  which  they  are  taken,  as  an 
incline  at  the  base,  four  feet  six  inches  high,  with  a  batter  of  seventy- 
eight  degrees,  makes  a  difference  of  forty  inches  between  the  ground 
level  measurement  and  that  of  the  principal  wall  surfaces  above. 
The  walls  are  vertical,  save  the  battered  course  referred  to,  and  the 
height  is  twenty-five  feet.  A  ground  plan  of  the  temple,  with  some 
details  of  chamber  construction  and  small  portions  of  the  pyr- 
amid and  its  stairways,  is  given  in  Fig.  37. 

The  walls  average  a  little  less  than  three  feet  thick  and  are 
pierced  by  doorways  on  all  four  sides.  'The  north  entrance  is  twenty 
feet  wide  and  is  divided  into  three  sections  by  two  massive  feathered- 
serpent  columns.  The  other  doors  are  plain  and  measure  four  feet 
six  inches  in  width  and  six  feet  six  inches  in  height.  The  main 
entrance  leads  into  a  vestibule  extending  the  full  length  of  the  build- 
ing east  and  west,  and  behind  this  a  wide  doorway  gives  entrance  to 
a  chamber,  twelve  feet  seven  inches  wide  by  nineteen  feet  eight 
inches  in  length,  in  which  stand  two  square  columns  supporting 
vault  timbers.  The  other  exterior  doorways  enter  a  corridor  which 
extends  along  the  south  side  and  continues  partially  along  the  east 
and  west  sides. 

It  is  desirable  to  describe  this  building  somewhat  in  detail  as  it 
must,  on  account  of  its  importance  and  excellent  state  of  preservation, 
serve  as  a  type  of  the  Maya  pyramid-temples.  To  avoid  multipli- 
cation of  words,  however,  I  have  prepared  two  sections  which  will 
at  once  convey  a  good  notion  of  profiles  and  construction.  The 
section  from  north  to  south,  showing  the  facade  on  the  right,  is  given 
in  Fig.  35,  and  that  from  east  to  west  is  given  in  Fig.  36.  In  the 
first  figure  the  profile  of  the  north  fa9ade,  partly  restored,  with  its 
zapote   lintels   and    rigid   moldings,   is   seen   at   the   right.      The  first 


Dec.   1895. 


Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


125 


Fig.  36.     Section  of  El  Castillo  from  East  to  West. 

a  and  e.    Outer  gallery  entered  by  east  and  west  doorways. 
i>,  c,  d.       Sanctuary  with  triple  vault  and  ornamented  columns. 


I     I 
I     I 


Fig.  37.     Plan  of  Temple  and  Upper  Part  of  Pyramid  of  El  Castillo. 

a.  North  front  with  serpent  columns  in  doorway. 

b.  Vestibule. 

c.  Sanctuary;  dotted  bands  indicate  position  of  wooden  beams  supporting  vaults ;  dotted    lines 

indicate  apex  of  vaults. 
d     Long  gallery. 


126         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  \'ol.    i. 

vault,  b.  is  that  of  the  vestibule,  the  second,  c,  that  of  the  inner 
chamber,  or  sanctuary,  cut  lengthwise  of  the  vault,  and  the  vault 
d,  is  that  of  the  south  corridor.  The  inclined  base  of  the  ex- 
terior wall  appears  at  the  left.  These  arches  all  approximate 
eighteen  feet  in  height  leaving  the  roof  mass  above  four,  or  possibly  in 
places  five  feet  thick.  The  other  cross  section  shows  the  east  arm  of 
the  long  corridor  vault  at  a,  the  triple  vault  of  the  inner  chamber  in 
the  middle,  c,  and  the  west    arm  of  the  back  corridor  at  e. 

The  facade  is  broken  down  over  more  than  one-third  of  its  area, 
mainly  at  the  east  end.  The  portal  is  entire,  both  columns,  though 
much  mutilated,  being  in  place,  and  the  three  pairs  of  wooden  lintels 
are  intact,  save  the  loss  of  one,  or  possibly  two  timbers  from  the  east 
span.  It  is  not  likely  that  any  novel  or  important  architectural  feat- 
ure is  lost,  as  the  entablature  decorations,  which  have  entirely  disap- 
peared, probably  duplicated  those  of  the  other  facades.  A  good  cut 
of  the  portal  is  given  by  Charna}^  and  I  present  another  view  in 
PI.  XIV. 

The  lower  wail-zone  is  plain  and  is  interrupted  on  the  north  by  the 
front  entrance,  twenty  feet  wide  and  eight  feet  high,  and  on  the  south, 
east  and  west  b}'  doorways  averaging  about  four  feet  six  inches  wide  and 
seven  feet  six  inches  high.  Fortunately  nearly  all  the  wooden  lintels  of 
this  building  are  in  place,  but  the  fact  that  they  are  the  weakest  point 
in  the  construction  is  shown  by  the  breaking  out  of  considerable 
breaches  above  each  of  the  doors  where  one  or  more  beams  have 
given  wa\'. 

The  upper  wall-zone,  separated  from  the  lower  by  the  heavy, 
rigid,  triple-membered,  medial  molding,  is  treated  in  a  ver}'  simple 
yet  effective  manner.  It  is  only  four  feet  ten  inches  wide,  and  con- 
tains three  panels  on  each  sieie,  the  outer  ones  being  entirely  plain, 
and  the  middle  one  of  each  set  incloses  a  simply  sculptured  grotesque 
face,  approximating  the  Palace  masks,  and  doubtless  referring  to  the 
same  legendary  conception  or  mythic  personage  or  creature.  The 
upper  moldings  are  as  usual,  save  that  the  coping  member  is  excep- 
tionally wide.  ^ 

The  inner  chamber,  usually  referred  to  as  the  sanctuary,  is  re- 
markable for  its  triple  vault  and  the  symbolic  relief  sculpturings  of 
its  lintels,  jambs,  pilasters  and  square  columns.  These  features  have 
been  illustrated  by  Stephens  and  Charnay,  so  that  they  need  not  be 
reviewed  here  in  any  considerable  detail.  This  is  the  only  perfectly 
preserved  representative  of  its  class  in  Chichen,  but  it  is  probably 
not  as  large  or  as  elaborate  as  others  of  which  we  have  distinct 
traces.  Its  ground  plan  and  construction  are  well  shown  in  the  ac- 
companying figures.      Its   most  striking  features   are  the  vaults  and 


J-11IVl-»  I  -■. 


rni'-n-  !^r^t  &■ 


dl  lud  ,81 : 


4.  -..O 


Pl.  XIV.     Main  Portal  of  the  Pyramid-Temple  Called  El  Castillo. 


At  the  right  is  seen  the  wall  of  cut  stone  with  the  inclined  courses  at  the 
base  ;  beyond  is  the  portal,  20  feet  wide  by  8  feet  high,  divided  by  two  massive 
feathered-serpent  columns,  the  Indian  boy  leaning  against  the  shaft  of  the  nearer 
column.  The  serpent  heads  (base  of  column)  are  much  battered,  the  jaw  and 
cheek  coil  remaining  in  the  farther  example.  The  feather  sculpture  of  the  shaft 
is  plainly  seen  and  traces  of  the  atlantean  figures  of  the  capital  (tail  of  the  ser- 
pent) are  visible,  though  the  outer  ends  are  much  mutilated.  The  wood  lintels 
are  well  shown,  the  nearer  set  consisting  of  three  timbers  but  slightly  hewn;  the 
middle  set  are  well  squared,  and  the  farther  are  not  seen,  the  inner  one  only  being 
in  place.  The  doorway  leading  to  the  sanctuary  is  seen  behind.  The  facade 
moldings  are  partially  in  place  above  the  lintels,  but  the  end  of  the  wall  beyond 
is  much  broken  down. 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,    PL.    XIV. 


Main   Portal,  Temple  of  ll  lastilio. 


Dec.    1895.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  127 

the  two  columRS  that  support  the  pendant  septae  of  the  triple  soffit. 
The  columns  and  the  heavy  timbers  resting  upon  them  are  well 
shown  by  Stephens,  and  a  reference  to  my  sections  will  make  the  re- 
lation of  these  features  to  the  vaults  sufficiently  clear. 

The  walls  are  of  plain  masonry,  but  the  jambs  and  pilasters  of 
the  doorway,  and  the  columns,  are  entirely  covered  with  relief  sculpt- 
ures. The  main  subject  employed  is  a  human  figure  of  full  life-size, 
which  is  treated  in  a  rather  crude  way,  and  occupies  the  middle  portion 
of  each  of  the  narrow  upright  spaces,  of  which  there  are  ten  in  the 
doorwa}'  and  eight  on  the  columns.  This  figure  is  elaborately  cos- 
tumed, but  seems  to  have  a  priestly  rather  than  a  warlike  character, 
judging  by  the  action  and  the  accompanying  paraphernalia.  One  or 
two  of  the  figures  are  remarkable  from  the  fact  that  they  have  long 
beards;    others  have  death's  heads. 

The  narrow  spaces  over  the  heads  and  beneath  the  feet  of  the 
principal  figures  are  filled,  in  the  main,  with  dwarfish  figures  Of  whis- 
kered Atlantes  represented  as  supporting  the  parts  above  them.  A 
few  have  death's  heads,  and  some  of  the  spaces  are  filled  with  gror 
tesque  masks  or  faces  in  relief,  which  would  seem  to  embody  the 
same  conception  as  the  great  mosaic  masks  of  the  facades.  All  of 
these  designs  are  repeated  in  several  other  sanctuaries. 

Ball  Court  or  Gymnasium.  A  little  to  the  left  of  El  Castillo,  in  the 
panorama,  is  the  Tennis  Court  or  Gymnasium.  It  is  briefly  described 
by  Stephens  and  other  explorers,  and  Mr.  Thompson  will  no  doubt 
work  it  out  in  all  its  interesting  details,  so  that  a  sketch  only  need  be 
presented  here.  This  group  consists  of  four  structures  independ- 
ently placed,  but  practically  inclosing  an  oblong  rectangular,  space  or 
court,  which  is  about  450  feet  long  and  120  feet  wide.  The  ground 
plan  is  indicated  on  the  accompanying  map,  PI.  XVII. 

The  lateral  structures — on  the  east  and  west  sides — are  primar- 
ily colossal  walls  275  feet  long,  thirty-four  feet  thick  and  twenty- 
five  feet  in  height.  They  are  faced  with  hewn  stone,  and  hold  a 
significant  relation  with  each  other  and  with  the  court,  as  indicated  by 
the  placement  of  two  great  stone  rings,  set  firmly  in  the  walls  by  means 
of  tenons  at  opposite  points  near  the  middle  and  at  an  elevation  of 
some  eighteen  or  twenty  feet  above  the  ground;  the  one  on  the  east  side 
only  remains.  These  rings,  as  described  by  Stephens,  are  four  feet 
in  diameter  and  thirteen  inches  thick,  and  are  pierced  by  an  opening 
nineteen  inches  in  diameter.  It  is  believed  that  they  served  some  func- 
tion in  connection  with  the  game  of  ball,  of  which  the  Mayas,  as  well  as 
other  native  tribes,  were  extremely  fond.  The  annular  faces,  vertically 
placed,  are  decorated  with  intertwined  serpents  in  low  relief,  the 
heads  meeting  above. 


128         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  \'ol.    i. 

The  western  wall  appears  to  be  without  decoration  or  other  feature 
of  particular  interest,  save  the  ring  socket,  and  no  stairway  was 
observed.  The  eastern  wall  has  associated  with  it  the  remains  of  two 
temples,  which  must  have  been  among  the  most  elaborate  and  inter- 
esting structures  in  Chichen.  Near  the  south  end  the  wall  is  enlarged 
on  the  east  side  into  a  terrace  some  forty  feet  square  and  four  or  five 
feet  higher  than  the  wall,  and  upon  this  stands  a  two-apartment 
temple,  while  a  single-room  temple  was  placed  against  the  terrace  at 
the  east  base.  The  section  given  in  Fig.  38  and  the  plan,  Fig.  39, 
will  serve  to  show  the  peculiar  relations  of  walls,  temples  and  ter- 
race, though  the  time  given  to  the  study  of  this  ruin  was  too  limited 
to  permit  a  satisfactory  anahsis. 

Although  the  lower  temple  is  in  an  advanced  state  of  ruin — 
the  front,  the  roof  and  parts  of  the  ends  being  destroyed,  as  indicated 
in  the  section — the  back  wall  is  preserved  to  the  apex  of  the  arch,  and 
large  parts  of  the  end  walls  are  in  place.  These  walls,  the  remnants 
of  square  columns,  and  the  antae  fronts,  are  covered  with  relief 
sculptures;  those  upon  the  walls  represent,  in  the  main,  processions 
of  elaborately  costumed  figures  with  associated  symbolic  devices, 
while  those  on  the  columns  and  jambs  nearly  duplicate  the  jamb  and 
column  sculptures  of  El  Castillo.  Nearly  all  the  mural  figures  still 
retain  distinct  traces  of  the  brilliant  colors  in  which  they  were  orig- 
inalh'  finished.  They  evidently  represent  the  participants  in  a  cere- 
mony or  dance,  which  was  probably  of  a  warlike  nature.  This  latter 
suggestion  is  warranted  by  the  carrying  of  weapons  by  the  personages 
represented,  b}'  the  association  of  the  tiger  and  the  shield  with  the 
decorations  of  the  edifice,  and  by  the  battle-scene  frescoes  of  the 
upper  temple.  Between  the  columns,  as  seen  in  the  photograph 
reproduced  in  PL  XV,  is  the  figure  of  a  tiger,  rigid  in  pose,  which 
may  have  had  svmbolic  associations  with  the  temple  or  may  have 
served  merely  as  a  seat. 

The  ruin  of  the  upper  temple  is  a  very  considerable  pile  which 
retains  large  parts  of  the  east,  north  and  south  walls;  the  front  apart- 
ment or  vestibule  on  the  west  is  in  about  the  same  state  of  ruin 
as  the  single  chamber  of  the  lower  temple.  It  stands  upon  a  plat- 
form four  or  five  feet  higher  than  the  gj'mnasium  wall,  and  occu- 
pies nearh'  the  entire  space,  save  on  the  front  which  has  a  platform 
six  or  eight  feet  wide.  It  is  probable  that  the  roof  of  the  lower 
temple  was  on  a  level  with  the  top  of  the  wall.  No  stairway  has 
been  located,  though  there  are  five  or  six  steps  leading  down  from  the 
front  of  the  temple  to  the  edge  of  the  w^all  facing  the  court.  There 
may  have  been  a  flying  stairway  descending  from  this  point  con- 
nected with  the  top  of  the  wall  by  wooden  or  stone  beams,  though  so 


Dec.    1895.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


129 


b 


^•;:{:^;^;^V:V;}.V:^;A■;/.:^^^:;^;^5^^ 


& 


j 


w. 


Fig.  38.     Section  of  Temple  of  Tigers,  Showing  Unique  Entablature  Profi 

FaQade  of  upper  structure  and  front  face  of  vestibule  vault  above  the  middle  of  the  column 
restored.    The  lines  should  have  been  uniformly  dotted.    Facade  of  lower  structure 
may  not  have  occurred  as  here  indicated,  for  there  is  a  possibility  that 
other  chambers  existed  to  the  right  of  this. 

a.  Section  of  Gymnasium  wall— dotted  area. 

b.  Hypothetic  continuation  of  stairway. 

c.  Serpent  column  and  outer  chamber  or  vestibule. 

d.  Sanctuary,  entered  by  pilastered  doorway  with  three  wooden  lintels. 

e.  Lower  Temple,  with  sculptured  columns  and  wails. 


LE. 
are 


130  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.   i. 

far  as  I  could  see,  there  are  no  traces  of  their  insertion,  and  there  is 
no  debris  below.  It  may  be  imagined  that  such  a  flight  would  have 
interfered  with  the  use  of  the  court  as  a  playground.  Of  course  a 
stairway  could  have  approached  by  way  of  the  wall  from  the  east 
side,  either  north  or  south  of  the  temple.  The  rear  corners  of  the 
substructure  sloped  at  a  high  angle,  and  were  finished  with  rows  of 
large  stones  rounded  on  the  outer  face  and  possibly  intended  to  repre- 
sent the  bodies  of  serpents. 

The  facade  of  this  building  was  some  thirty-five  feet  long  and 
twenty- two  feet  high,  and  is  now  represented  by  the  bases  of  two 
huge  feathered-serpent  columns — which  separated  the  wide  portal  into 
three  parts — and  remnants  of  the  two  lateral  pillars  or  antae  fronts  seen 
at  the  right  and  left,  PI.  XIII.  The  columns  correspond  closely  with 
those  of  El  Castillo,  but  were  larger  and  probably  considerably  taller. 
Both  sets  are  referred  to  in  the  introductory  pages  and  illustrated  in 
the  frontispiece.  I  have  assumed,  as  indicated  in  the  section,  that 
the  columns  in  this,  as  in  other  cases,  supported  zapote  lintels.  The 
facade  rose  above  to  the  coping,  and  no  doubt  contained  features  cor- 
responding closely  with  those  of  the  other  walls  of  the  building. 

We  have  here  the  first  case  observed  in  w^hich    the  lower  and 
upper  wall  spaces  are  not  well   differentiated,  and  the  peculiar  rigid 
moldings    are   absent.      Beginning  with  the  floor  level,  the  wall   rises 
five     feet    ten    inches — in    two    or    three    courses  of    large     stones — 
wath   a  batter    or    incline   of   sixty   degrees  from   the  horizontal;   the 
course  above  this,  ten  inches  wide,  slopes  in  at  a  still  lower  angle, 
Fig.   38.      Above    this    is  a  paneled   zone  about  four  feet  wide,   the 
panels,  two  to  a  side,  being  shallow  and  peculiarly  varied  by   facing 
certain  minor  planes  at  somewhat  different  angles.      Above  the  panels 
come   two   slightly  projecting  courses,  the  upper  decorated  its  entire 
length  with  chaste  guilloche  work  in  low   relief.      Next    is    a    wider 
course  set  a  little  back  and  decorated  with  ornamented  shield  disks 
three  to  a  side,  alternating  with  well-sculptured  tigers  in  low  relief,  ar- 
ranged in  four  pairs.      On  the  south  side  two  pairs  of  the  tigers  at  the 
right  face  to  the  right,  and  two  at  the  left  face  to  the  left.      All  are  in 
the  act  of  walking.      Apron-like  pendants  extend  from  the  shield  disks 
down  over  the  subjacent  courses.      Next  is  a  slightly  projecting  course 
corresponding  to  that  below  the  tiger  zone,  and  above  this  again  is  a 
narrower,  inward-sloping  course.      Resting  on  this  is  another  course 
set  forward  in  the  middle  portion  to  form  the  base  for  a  baluster-like 
ornament,  some  twenty  feet  long,  occupying  the  middle  part  of    the 
next  course.      This  lower  course  and  the  outer  ends  of  that  above  are 
embellished  with  handsome  conventional  reliefs.      The  same   may  be 
said  of  the  next  course  which  projects  a  little  forward  again  forming 


Dec.  1895.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


131 


Fig.  39.     Plan  of  Temple  of  Tigers,  Gymnasium  Group 

a.  South  end  of  gymnasium  wall. 

d.  Hypothetic  position  of  stairway. 

c.  Columns  and  Vestibule  of  upper  temple. 

d.  Sanctuary;  walls,  covered  with  paintings. 

e.  Lower  temple,  with  square  columns  and  sculptured  tiger 

between. 


132         Field  Columbian  Museum— Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

a  cap  for  the  baluster  panel,  and  supporting  the  coping  course  which 
is  wide  and  projects  forward  as  usual.  Fig.  38. 

The  serpent  columns  occupjing  the  western  portal,  still 
stand  to  the  height  of  six  or  seven  feet,  and  are  elaborately  sculpt- 
ured to  represent  scales,  feathers  and  other  features.  The  e5'^e- 
balls  were  formed  of  white  sea-shell.  The  heads  are  massive  and 
formed  of  a  single  stone,  save  the  tongues,  now  lost,  which  were  set 
into  the  end  of  the  lower  jaw  by  means  of  a  tenon.  The  fangs  in 
this  case  are  large  and  bulbous.  The  end  and  back  walls,  and  the 
expansive  inner  surface  of  the  vestibule  arch  behind  these  columns,  are 
well  preserved,  and  faced  with  accurately  dressed  stones  of  rather 
large  size.  Most  of  the  surface  is  now  weathered  quite  clean,  but 
originally  it  was  painted  and  pictured,  traces  of  the  work  remaining 
in  several  places. 

Unlike  the  Castillo  portal  this  entrance  extends  the  full  width  of 
the  building,  save  for  the  square  pilasters  set  against  the  lateral  walls 
near  the  front,  and  approximates  the  portico  more  closely  than  any 
other  Maya  propylaeum.  The  appearance  and  relations  of  the  antae 
are  sufficiently  indicated  in  the  ground  plan  and  in  plate  XIII.  The 
pilasters,  which  stand  opposite  the  serpent  columns,  supported  the 
outer  ends  of  the  wooden  lintels, and  like  the  jambs  of  the  fine  doorway 
leading  to  the  back  chamber,  are  handsomely  sculptured  with  human 
figures  in  low  relief.  The  lintel  beams  of  the  doorway,  three  in  num- 
ber, and  set  as  indicated  in  the  section,  are  covered  with  well  ex- 
ecuted glyphs.  The  back  chamber  is  of  the  usual  style  and  is  noted 
for  its  elaborate  mural  paintings,  described  by  Stephens  and  studied 
and  copied  by  Thompson.  The  entire  wall-space  has  been  covered 
with  these  designs,  but  tlie  remnants  left  are  not  sufficient  to  give  a 
clear  notion  of  the  work.  There  are  traces  of  borders  of  colored 
lines  and  bands,  but  the  great  spaces  were  filled  in  with  pictorial  sub- 
jects, hardly  to  be  classed  as  decorations,  as  they  were  apparently 
without  order  or  systematic  arrangement. 

The  only  extended  subject  at  all  well  preserved  is  a  battle  scene 
with  numerous  warriors  engaged  in  combat.  The  figures  are  scat- 
tered over  a  large  area  in  a  somewhat  hap-hazard  way,  and  in  the 
background  is  a  village  with  buildings  suggesting  the  columned 
temples,  and  with  men  and  women  variously  engaged.  The  figures  are 
drawn  in  clean,  free  outlines  in  a  dark  color,  and  filled  in  with  flat  col- 
ors which  include  white,  black,  yellow,  blue,  green,  and  red.  A  red- 
dish brown  was  used  as  a  flesh  color,  and  the  figures  were  drawn 
complete  and  nude  before  the  costumes  were  added. 

The  action  of  the  warriors  is  varied  and  strong,  having  a  good 
deal  of  the  fresh  vigor  of  a  sketch,  but  the  work  is  hardly  equal  to  the 


Pl.  XV.    Sculptured  Sanctuary  or  Chamber,  Temple  of  the  Tigers. 


This  chamber,  noted  for  its  superb  wall  sculptures,  is  placed  against  the  east 
base  of  the  pyramid  upon  which  rests  the  main  Temple  of  the  Tigers,  south  end 
of  the  eastern  gymnasium  wall.  All  that  remains  is  a  large  part  of  the  back  wall, 
about  half  of  the  sloped  soffit  space  above,  the  end  wall  at  the  right,  part  of  the  end 
wall  at  the  left — against  which  the  Indian  boy  leans — and  the  remnants  of  two 
square  sculptured  columns  in  front.  It  is  generally  assumed  that  this  chamber 
stood  alone  and  that  the  entire  front  was  open  save  for  the  square  columns,  but 
possibly  this  is  only  the  inner  section  of  a  triple-vaulted  sanctuary,  as  in  El  Cas- 
tillo, the  front  portion  and  the  vestibule  (or  other  entrance  way)  having  been 
wholly  destroyed. 

The  sculptures,  which  cover  the  walls,  represent  richly  bedecked  figures 
arranged  as  if  to  represent  some  ceremony  or  dance,  and  most  of  them  still  retain 
distinct  traces  of  the  brilliant  colors  with  which  they  were  originally  embellished. 
The  sculptures  covering  the  columns  are  nearly  identical  with  square-column 
decorations  in  other  temples.  The  figure  of  a  man  occupied  the  front  cf  the  left 
hand  'column  and  that  of  a  woman — as  indicated  by  the  plaid  skirt— the  right 
hand  column.  Between  the  columns  stands  the  rather  rudely  sculptured  and 
very  formal  tigure  of  a  tiger.  This  may  not  have  been  its  original  position.  Length 
of  the  chamber,  22  feet;  width,  10  feet;  height,  15  feet. 


Dec.    1895.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  133 

best  work  of  the  codices,  and  perhaps  hardly  up  to  the  grade  of  art  to 
be  expected  of  a  people  capable  of  designing  and  erecting  the  remark- 
able buildings  of  Chichen. 

The  small  buildings  facing  the  court  at  the  north  and  south  ends 
call  for  a  mere  mention  onl3\  That  on  the  north  is  a  small  pyramid- 
temple,  having  a  single  chamber  and  round  columns  now  in  a  ruined 
state.  That  at  the  south  end  was  much  larger,  but  is  in  a  very 
advanced  state  of  demolition.      Both  are  shown  in  the  panorama. 

Temple  of  the  Cones.  A  few  rods  directly  north  of  El  Castillo, 
and  imperfectly  shown  in  the  panorama,  is  a  pyramid-temple  of  con- 
siderable importance,  but  one  to  which  I  was  unable  to  give  particu- 
lar attention.  It  is,  however,  so  completely  ruined  that  little  can  be 
determined  with  respect  to  its  character  without  extensive  excavation. 
It  has  been  embellished  with  a  frieze  (probably)  of  diminutive  cone- 
shaped  columns.  Associated  with  it  are  several  pieces  of  sculpture, 
including  handsome  slabs  with  subjects  in  bas  relief,  and  a  '-Chac- 
mool  "  of  the  well-known  Le  Plongeon  type. 

Group  of  the  Columns.  To  the  right  of  El  Castillo  in  the  pano- 
rama is  one  of  the  most  important  clusters  of  remains  in  Chichen. 
It  has  been  but  little  explored  and  remains  a  treasury  of  interesting 
data  for  some  future  explorer.  A  great  irregular  squarish  space,  some 
500  or  600  feet  in  extent,  is  bordered  by  the  ruins  of  pyramids  and 
buildings  of  greatly  varied  characters.  At  the  north  are  two  consider- 
able p3'ramids,  at  the  south  are  two  or  three  more  and  on  the  east  are 
several  others  involved  with  terraces  and  coalescent  piles  of  unusual 
conformation.  The  largest  pyramid  stands  on  the  outside  of  the 
northwest  corner  of  the  inclosure,  and  is  nearly  100  feet  square  and 
some  fifty  feet  high.  It  probably  supported  a  temple  and  was  faced 
with  hewn  stone,  but  is  now  hardly  more  than  a  mound  of  broken- 
down  mason  r\'. 

Temple  of  the  Tables.  Beyond  the  mound  just  referred  to 
is  a  smaller  pile  about  twenty-five  feet  high,  upon  which  are  now 
exposed,  through  the  labors  of  some  enterprising  explorer,  the  re- 
mains of  a  superb  temple,  hardly  surpassed  in  interest  by  any  other  in 
the  city.  The  main  facade  seems  to  have  been  to  the  west  and  is 
represented  now  by  its  stairway,  its  fallen  serpent  columns  and  sculpt- 
ured lateral  walls,  not  jet  fully  freed  from  the  mass  of  debris.  The 
appearance  of  the  fallen  column  on  the  north  is  roughly  indicated  in 
the  accompanying  sketch.  Fig.  40,  which  shows  the  broken  head 
nearly  five  feet  long,  the  protruding  sculptured  tongue,  two  feet 
long,  a  round  shaft  section  twenty-three  inches  in  diameter,  and  the 
upper  section  of  the  shaft  terminating  in  the  serpent's  tail  which  is 
five  feet  long,  and   turned  outward   forming  the   capital.     This  latter 


134         Field  Coi.lmcian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

section  of  the  column  is  peculiar  in  being  square.  The  whole  height  of 
the  column,  if  the  parts  really  belong  together,  was  ten  or  eleven  feet. 
Behind  the  columns  was  a  vestibule,  probably  of  the  usual  type, 
from  which  a  doorway,  with  square  sculptured  jamb-piers,  opens 
through  into  a  rear  apartment  of  imperfectly  defined  characters,  but 
exhibiting  features  of  unusual  interest.  The  floor  space  is  about 
fifteen  by  thirty-six  feet  in  extent,  the  inner  wall,  and  very  small  por- 
tions of  what  may  have  been  end  walls,  remain.  Ranged  along  the 
middle  of  the  space  from  north  to  south  are  the  remains  of  four  square 
columns,  PI.  XVI,  built  of  large  stones  and  handsomely  embellished 
over  the  entire  surface  with  figures  and  devices  in  low  relief,  such  as 
are  seen  in  El  Castillo  and  elsewhere.  They  are  nearly  nine  feet  high 
and  measure  twenty-three  inches  square;  they  undoubtedly  supported 
zapote  beams  and  the  usual  arched  ceilings.  This  chamber  was 
probably  the  sanctuary,  as  it  corresponds  to  this  feature  in  El  Castillo 
and  other  temples. 


Fig.  40.     Sketch  of  Feathered-Serpent  Column. 

FaQade  of  Temple  of  the  Tables :  ornamentation  imperfectly  recorded. 

The  most  extraordinary  feature,  however,  connected  with  this 
temple  is  a  series  of  accurately  cut  limestone  tablets  held  up 
by  human  figures  of  caryatid-atlantean  type  thirty  inches  high,  and 
ranged  along  the  outer  edge  of  the  floor  space  on  the  margin  of  the 
terrace.  The  tablets  are  of  varying  dimensions,  averaging  perhaps 
three  feet  square  and  five  or  six  inches  thick.  The}^  appear  to  have 
been  placed  to  form  a  continuous  table  the  entire  length  of  the  build- 
ing, each  slab  having  been  supported  by  two  of  the  figures,  as  shown 
in  Fig.  41.  These  slabs  are  wonderfully  resonant,  and  when  struck 
lightly  with  a  hammer  or  stone,  give  out  tones  closel}-  resembling 
those  of  a  deeply  resonant  bell,  and  the  echoes  awakened  in  the  silent 
forest  are  exceedingly  impressive.  The  dwarfish  figures  are  well 
sculptured  in  elaborate  costumes,  and  stand  with  both  hands  aloft, 
giving  a  broad  surface  for  supporting  the  slabs.      All  have  been  taste- 


Pl.  XVI.    Square  Columns,  Temple  of  the  Tables. 


Four  of  these  handsomely  sculptured,  square  columns  are  ranged  across 
the  eastern  platform  of  the  pyramid,  and,  judging  by  analogy,  were  employed  to 
support  the  vault  timbers  of  the  sanctuary.  They  are  nearly  identical  in  their 
sculptures  with  square  columns  in  the  sanctuary  of  El  Castillo,  and  correspond 
closely  with  the  square,  sanctuary  columns  of  several  other  temples.  At  the  top 
are  bearded,  atlantean  figures  in  the  position  of  supporting  the  entablature  or 
beams;  at  the  base  are  similar  scul^Dtures,  not  clearly  made  out;  and  occupying  the 
middle  spaces,  one  to  each  side,  are  life  sized,  elaborately  costumed  figures  of 
men  in  low  relief.  The  height  is  9  feet  and  the  horizontal  measurement  about  25 
inches.  With  the  columns  are  shown  several  of  the  pigmy  atlantean  figures  used 
as  supports  for  stone  tables  ranged  around  the  margin  of  the  terrace,  as  if 
originally  placed  against  the  back  wall  of  the  sanctuary.  They  are  now  much 
displaced,  and  in  the  view  one  is  so  placed  as  to  show  the  graceful  drapery  of  the 
back. 


Dec.    1895.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


135 


fully  finished  in  bright  colors.      Two  or  three  sets  of    similar    figures 
are  found  in  the  adjoining  ruins. 

Quadrangle  of  the  Columns.  In  the  panoramic  view  the  great 
inclosure  of  the  columns  is  too  distant  to  be  indicated  clearly. 
Beginning  at  the  northwest  corner,  one  range  of  buildings,  repre- 
sented b}'  a  rough  surfaced  flattish  ridge  some  sixty  feet  wide 
and  perhaps  400  feet  long,  extends  to  the  eastward  from  the 
large  p3^ramid.  It  is  characterized  by  its  multitude  of  short  columns, 
square  towards  the  west  end,  where  there  was  apparently  a  temple  of 
usual  type,  and  round  to  the  east,  where  they  stand  in  close  order 
over  a  large  part  of  the  ruin.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that  these 
columns  belonged  to  an  extensive  building  and  were  connected  by 
wooden  beams  which  extended  from  column  to  column  over  the  entire 


Fig.  41.    Stone  Tablet  Supported  by  Two  Atlantean  Figures. 

Whole  height  40  inches. 

area  supporting  the  roof  timbers,  or  masonry,  and  affording  a  covered 
space  of  large  extent  and  unique  appearance.  It  would  seem  from 
some  slight  excavations  made  in  the  mass,  that  a  considerable  range 
of  vaulted  apartments  is  buried  beneath  the  debris. 

North  of  this  pile  are  ridges  of  debris  of  unknown  extent  buried 
in  deep  forest,  and  toward  the  east  the  line  is  connected  by  a  low, 
narrow  ridge,  also  showing  columns,  with  a  ruined  mass  upwards 
of  100  feet  long,  forty  feet  wide  and  twenty-five  feet  high,  which 
extends  to  the  southward.  From  the  center  of  the  latter  there 
branches  off  to  the  east  a  low  mass  approximating  sixty  feet  wide  and 
a  hundred  feet  long,  covered  with  remnants  of  large  square  col- 
umns; and  from  the  south  end  another  range  with  columns  extends  to 
the    east    and    connects  with    still    another    north    and  south    range 


136         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

100  feet  or  more  in  length.  The  latter  joins  the  north  slope  of  a 
pyramid  upon  which  formerly  stood  a  typical  temple  of  large  size 
with  square  columns,  remnants  of  which  remain,  while  numerous  in- 
teresting caryatid-atlantean  figures  occur  in  the  debris.  This  pyramid 
IS  perhaps  sixty  by  100  feet  in  horizontal  extent  and  forty-five 
or  fifty  feet  in  height;  other  piles  of  inferior  dimensions  occur  to 
the  south  and  east. 

The  ranges  of  ruins  on  the  west  and  south  side  of  this  great  en- 
closure are  of  less  importance  and  do  not  require  description  here. 
They  terminate  in  two  or  three  small  mounds  at  the  southwest  angle, 
from  one  of  which  stone  is  being  taken  for  the  burning  of  lime. 

More  or  less  definite  reference  has  now  been  made  to  something 
like  thirty  ruined  structures,  over  half  of  which  are  of  the  pyramid- 
temple  type.  If  these  were  really  temples,  and  not  merely  the  dwell- 
ings of  the  more  ambitious  citizens  or  great  caciques,  we  have  a  striking 
illustration  of  the  importance  of  sacerdotal  customs  among  the  Mayas, 
and  a  clear  indication  of  the  great  importance  and  extent  of  Chichen 
in  the  days  of  its  prosperity. 

Cenotes.  It  remains  to  point  out  in  the  panorama  the  two  re- 
maining features  of  importance,  the  Cenote  Grande  near  the  center  of 
the  picture,  M,  and  the  Sacred  Cenote,  N,  away  off  towards  the 
horizon  beyond  the  Gymnasium  court.  The  former  was  probably  a 
chief  source  of  the  supply  of  water  that  made  the  development  of 
Chichen  possible,  and  the  imagination  is  wont  to  picture  the  trains  of 
tireless  carriers  moving,  almost  without  ceasing,  up  and  down  the 
steep  pathway  and  back  and  forth  in  the  city.  This  great  well  is  some 
seventy  feet  deep  and  averages  perhaps  150  feet  in  diameter. 
It  had  its  origin,  no  doubt,  in  the  caving  in  of  the  roof  of  a 
subterranean  waterway,  the  orifice  enlarging  by  breaking  down  at  the 
sides  until  the  walls  reached  the  vertical  and  in  places  passed  beyond 
it.  Progress  was  made,  not  so  much  by  the  falling  in  of  undermined 
masses  as  by  the  mere  crumbling  of  the  surface,  particle  after  particle 
falling  from  the  wall  to  be  dissolved  or  carried  away.  As  the  lime- 
stones are  massively  bedded  and  quite  homogeneous  in  texture,  the 
surfaces  were  probably  always  nearly  as  even  and  smooth  as  they 
appear  today.  Disintegration  took  place  somewhat  equally  all  around, 
giving  rise  to  the  circular  form  which  is  so  pronounced  that  many 
people  regard  the  cenotes  as  works  of  art.  The  pool  which  rests 
calmly  at  the  bottom  of  the  pit  is  shallow  at  the  side  next  the  steep 
pathway  where  the  walls  are  most  broken  down,  but  in  the  center  and 
against  the  perpendicular  wall  is  of  unknown  depth.  The  water  is  at 
present  sufficiently  pure  to  serve  for  drinking  and  culinary  purposes; 
but  its  taste  is  naturallv  affected  bv  the  vast  accumulation  of  vegetable 


Dec.    1895.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


137 


matter  swept  into  the  gaping  orifice  each  year.  No  current  is  per- 
ceptible and  if  there  is  any  connection  with  a  subterranean  stream  it  is 
by  seepage  merely,  the  errosive  agencies  not  being  sufficiently  active 
to  clear  away  the  accumulation  of  debris  descending  from  above. 

The  Sacred  Cenote  is  larger,  and  more  symmetrical  than  the  other, 
and,  occurring  in  the  midst  of  the  somber  forest,  is  a  most  impressive  and 
awe-inspiring  spectacle.  Its  charm  is  enhanced  by  the  weird  stories 
of  human  sacrifice  associated  correctly  or  incorrectly  with  its  history. 
The  walls  are  nearly  circular  and  approach  the  perpendicular  closely 
all  around.  They  are  diversified  only  by  the  encircling  ribs  and 
pitted  grooves  produced  by  the  uneven  weathering  of  the  massive, 
horizontally-bedded  limestones.  The  water  has  a  light  coffee  color 
and  looks  ver}^  impure.  It  is  shallow  on  one  side  and  of  unknown 
depth  on  the  other.  A  small  tomb-like  ruin  is  perched  upon  the 
brink.  It  is  conjectured  that  this  structure  had  something  to  do  with 
the  ceremonies  attending  the  casting  of  victims  and  treasure  into  the 
terrible  pool. 

There  has  been  some  talk  of  exploring  the  accumulations  forming 
the  bottom  of  this  cenote  with  the  expectation  of  securing  works 
of  art  or  other  treasures,  but  the  task  is  a  most  formidable  one  and 
will  require  the  erection  of  strong  windlasses  and  efficient  dredging 
apparatus.  It  is  doubtful  if  promised  results  warrant  the  outlay  nec- 
essary for  carrying  out  the  work  in  a  thorough  manner. 


Mosaic  Fret,  Uxmal. 

Length,  eight  feet. 


END    OF    PART    I. 


Pl.  XVII.     Sketch  Map,  Ruins  of  Chichen-Itza. 


rrnl 


C^ 


CHICHEN-ITZA. 


m.....™.,.. 


mm 


11 


it    [i 


m-.^"^ 


fM,  M  '^ 


m 


^OCI# 


I  I 


& 


Point  of  Vie*  of  Panoi 


PL.  XVIII.     Panorama  of  Chiohen-Itza. 


PANORAMA  OF  CHICHEN-ITZA. 


Field   Columbian   Museum 

Publication   i6 

Anthropological  Series.  Vol.   i,  No.   i, 


ARCHEOLOGICAL  STUDIES 


AMONG   THE   ANCIENT 


CITIES   OF   MEXICO 


BY 


William    H.  Holmes, 

Curator,   Department  of  Anthropolog}- 


PART    II,     MONUMENTS    OF    CHIAPAS,    OAXACA   AND 
THE   VALLEY    OF    MEXICO. 


Chicago,   U.  S.  A. 
February,    1897. 


ARCHEOLOGICAL   STUDIES 

AMONG  THE 

ANCIENT   CITIES   OF   MEXICO. 
By  William  H.   Holmes. 

PART    II. 


CONTENTS,  PART  II. 

Page 
Prefatory  note,       -  -  -  -  -  --  -  -149 

Kuins  of  Chiapas,        --------  151 

Palenque,     -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -151 

Introductory,      -             -             -             -            -             -             -  151 

Panoramic  View,      -------  153 

Orientation  and  assemblage,    -            -            -            -            -  154 

Materials  and  masonry,      -            -            -            -            -            "  ^55 

Construction,      -------  157 

Substructures,           -            -            -            -            -            -            -  I57 

Superstructures,             .-.-.-  158 

Ground  plan,               ..--.-  158 

Profile  and  construction,            .            -            .            .  igo 

Doorways,       --...--  162 

Pillars,      -------  163 

Sculpture,      -------  16^ 

Stucco  work,        ------  166 

Color,              .-.---_  167 

Implements,        ------  168 

Stairways,      -------  168 

The  Palace  group,        ...----  i6g 

The  pyramid,             -------  igg 

The  buildings,  A  to  M,             -            .            -            .            -  171 

Temple  of  the  Inscriptions,           -            -            -            -            -            -  186 

Temple  of  the  Beau  Relief,                .            -            .            -            .  188 

East-side  remains,              -            -            .            .            -            .            .  igi 

Temple  of  the  Sun,                   _..--.  ig2 

Temple  of  the  Cross,           -------  igg 

Temple  of  the  Cerro,    -------  202 

The  subterranean  waterway,        ------  203 

The  bridge,           --------  205 

Tombs,          ---------  206 

Calcareous  deposits,     -------  208 

Ruins  of  Oaxaca,               -            -            -            -            -            -            -            -  210 

Introductory,     --------  210 

Ruins  of  the  Lesser  Alban,             -            -            -            -            -            -  211 

Ruins  of  Monte  Alban,            ------  212 

Ruins  of  Mitla,        --------  227 

The  journey,      ------  227 

Modern  Mitla,          -------  227 

The  ancient  remains,    ------  22g 

Panoramic  view,      -------  230 

Orientation  and  assemblage,    -            -            -            -            -  231 

Building  materials,               .--..-  231 

Masonry               ..--.-.  233 

Substructures,            -------  234 

U3 


144  CONTENTS,    PART    II CONTINUED. 

Page 

Superstructures,  ------  235 

The  ground  plan,       ------  236 

Profile  and  construction,  .  -  -  -  237 

Doorways,  ------  240 

Columns,  ------  243 

Roof  construction,  -----  244. 

Mural  embellishment,  -  -  -  .  245 

Sculpture,       -------  2451 

Mural  mosaic  work        -----  246 

Plaster,  cement,        -  .  -  -  .  -  251 

Painting,  ------  252 

Painted  designs,        ------  252 

Group  of  the  Catholic  Establishment,  -  -  -  255 

Group  of  the  Columns,        ------  257 

Quadrangle  of  the  Columns,     -  -  -  -  257 

Hall  of  the  Six  Columns, 259 

Quadrangle  of  the  Grecques,     -  -  -  -  262 

Quadrangle  of  the  Basement  Galleries,      -  -  -  267 

Group  of  the  Arroyo,     ------  272 

Group  of  the  Adobes,  ------  273 

South-side  Group,  ------  274 

The  Fortified  Hill,  - 275 

Quarrying  and  cutting  stone,  .  -  -  .  279 

Flaked  stone  implements,  -----  285 

Copper  implements,       ------  287 

Pottery,        --------  288 

Ruins  of  the  \'alley  of  ^lexico,  ------  289 

San  Juan  Teotihuacan,  ------  289 

Rank  of  the  city,       -  -  -  -  -  -  "  289 

History  and  people,      ------  289 

Location  and  plan,  ------  290 

Substructures,  ------  291 

Superstructures,       -------  291 

Sculpture,  -------  293 

Pottery,  --------  293 

Painting,  -------  293 

Literature  and  exploration,  -----  293 

Panoramic  view,  ------  294 

Pyramid  of  the  Moon,         ------  294 

Court  of  the  Battered  Goddess,  -  -  -  -  295 

Camino  de  los  Muertos,       ------  298 

The  South  Side  Group  or  Citadel,       -  -  -  -  297 

Tenochtitlan,  --------  29^ 

Studies  of  Ancient  Mexican  sculpture,        -----  301 

Onyx  tablet  with  engraved  figure  of  a  deity,      -  -  -  -  3^4 

Sculptured  yokes,        -------  309 

Cylinder  with  serpents  in  relief,  -----  321 

Annular  stone  with  reliefs,      ----■■  3^2 

Stone  box  with  reliefs,        -------  322 

Head  of  diorite,  -------  323 

Feathered  serpent  in  greenstone,  -----  324 

Carved  shells,  -------  326 


Plate. 


ILLUSTRATIONS,  PART  11. 

Opposite 
page. 

XIX.     View  in  northwest  court  of  Palace  showing  decorated  piers 

and  towers,       -            -            -            -            -            -            -  176 

XX.     Stucco  altar-piece  known  as  the  Beau  Relief,          -            -  190 

XXI.     Temple  of  the  Sun,  from  the  east,           .            .            -            -  jgg 

XXII.     Sanctuary  tablet  with  sculptures  in  low  relief,          -             -  202 

XXIII.  Articles  from  a  tomb  in  the  side  of  the  pyramid  of  the  Tem- 

ple of  the  Cross,           ------  206 

XXIV.  Sketch  map  of  Palenque,        -----  208 
XXV.     Panoramic  view  of  Palenque,      -----  208 

XXVI.     Panoramic  view  of  Monte  Alban  from  the  Lesser  Alban,  226 

XXVII.     Panoramic  view  of  summit  remains,  Monte  Alban,      -            -  226 

XXVIII.     Sketch  map  of  summit  remains  of  Monte  Alban,                -  226 

XXIX.     Mitlan  women  spinning  and  weaving,                 -             -             -  228 

XXX.     Relation  of  mosaic  patterns  to  the  mosaic  stones,               -  246 

XXXI.     Fa(;ade  of  Hall  of  the  Six  Columns,       -            -            .            -  258 

XXXII.     Interior  of  Hall  of  the  Six  Columns  from  above,     -            -  260 

XXXIII.  Court  and  east  chamber  of  the  Quadrangle  of  the  Grecques,  262 

XXXIV.  In  the  court  of  the  Quadrangle  of  the  Grecques,                 -  264 
XXXV.     Section  and  perspective  of  the  west  chamber  of  the  Grecques,  266 

XXXVI.     Basement  galleries  and  columnar  roof  support,       -             -  270 

XXXVII.     The  Fortified  Hill;  eastern  walls  as  seen  from  without,           -  278 

XXX\TII.     Panoramic  view  of  Mitla,        -            -            .            -            -  278 

XXXIX.     Sketch  map  of  the  ruins  of  Mitla,           .             -             .             -  278 

XL.     Stone  pick  used  in  quarrying  stone,              -            -            -  284 

XLI.     Hammerstone  and  celt  found  in  a  Mitlan  quarry,         -             -  284 

XLII.     Flint  cores  from  which  flakes  have  been  struck  off,             -  286 

XLIII.     Flint  flakes  and  scrapers  from  Mitla,      -            -             -             -  286 

XLI\'.     Hammerstones  from  Mitla,                  .            .            -            .  286 

XLV.     Flint  rejectage  oi  blade-making  from  a  shop  near  Mitla,       -  288 

XLVI.     Foundations  exposed  by  Charnay's  excavations  in  Teotihuacan,  292 

XLVII.     San  Juan  Teotihuacan  from  the  Pyramid  of  the  Moon,            -  294 

XLVIII.     View  looking  east  along  the  Pathway  of  the  Dead,             -  296 

XLIX.     Panoramic  view  of  San  Juan  Teotihuacan,        -            -            .  298 

L.     Onyx  tablet  with  engraved  figure  of  a  deity,            -            -  306 

LI.     Stone  yoke  carved  to  represent  the  frog,            -            -            -  310 

LI  I.     Four  views  of  a  sculptured  yoke  from  Motzorongo,             -  312 

LIII.     a.  Cylindrical  stone  with  bas-reliefs,     d.  Annular  stone  with 

bas-reliefs,               .----.  ^22 

LIV.     Stone  basin  with  Calendaric  bas-relief  sculptures,       -            -  322 

LV.     Head  of  a  divinity  carved  in  black  diorite,              -            -  324 

LVI.     Feathered  serpents  and  other  subjects  sculptured  in  greenstone,  326 

LVII.     Carved  shells  representing  winged  human  beings,              -  329 

145 


146  ILLUSTRATIONS,    PART    II CONTINUED. 

Fig.  Page 

42.  Sketch  map  locating  Palenque,  ....            -            15^ 

43.  Ground  plans  of  temples,  showing  progress  in  specialization  of  features,  159 

44.  Ground  plans  of  round  and  square  towers  compared,  -             -             160 

45.  Transverse  section  showing  construction  of  Palenque  buildings,  -      161 

46.  Exterior  doorways  and  piers  with  wooden  lintels  (restored),  -            163 

47.  Interior  doorways,  with  section  of  medial  wall  and  ceiling,        -  -      164 

48.  Interior  doorway,  with  section  of  medial  wall  and  ceiling,  -            165 

49.  Skeleton  ground  plan  of  Palace,  showing  separate  buildings  and  courts,  172 

50.  Section  and  perspective  of  the  eastern  range  of  the  Palace,  -            174 

51.  Transverse  section  of  northern  end  of  Palace  group,  showing  buildings 

and  courts,  --------      i^g 

52.  Transverse  section  of  the  Mural  Tablet  Building,  -             -             179 

53.  Sketch  of  the  Tower  from  the  northeast,  as  it  would  appear  denuded  of 

vegetation  and  extraneous  masonry,         -  -  -  .  jgi 

54.  Section  of  Tower  from  north  to  south,  showing  stairways  and  construc- 

tion, --------  183 

55.  Partial  section  of  Tower,  exhibiting  various  features  of  construction,         184 

56.  Ground  plan  of  first  story  of  Tower,  -            -             -             -             185 

57.  Ground  plan  of  blind  story  of  Tower,        -----      1S5 

58.  Section  and  perspective  of  the  Temple  of  the  Beau  Relief,  -            189 
5g.  Section  and  perspective  of  outer  vault  or  vestibule,  Temple  of  the  Sun, 

looking  north,  -------  jq-j 

60.  Section  and  perspective  of  back  vault,  Temple  of  the  Sun,       -  -      194 

61.  Sketch  showing  manner  of  building  up  stucco  figures  against  the  open- 

work roof-comb,  -------      i^g 

62.  Sawed  strips  of  limestone  used  in  building  skeletons  of  stucco  figures,     198 

63.  Sketch  of  Temple  of  Cross,  from  Temple  of  Sun,  -            -            -      199 

64.  Transverse  section  through  middle  of  Temple  of  the  Cross,  -            201 

65.  Section  of  waterway  arch,  ------      204 

66.  Bridge  arch  indicating  probable  character  of  submerged  portion,  206 

67.  Section  of  calcareous  nodule  containing  Bulimus  shell,  -            -      209 

68.  Sketch  map  of  Monte  Alban  and  vicinity,       -  .            -            -            212 

69.  Crest  quadrangle  of  the  Lesser  Alban,      -----      215 

70.  Chamber  in  side  of  pyramid,  probably  a  tomb,  -            -            -            222 

71.  Colossal  heads  in  low  relief,  ------      223 

72.  Iron  ax  in  use  to-day,  and  an  iron  knife  or  machette  of  peculiar  shape,     228 

73.  Examples  of  Mitlan  pyramids  or  substructures,  -            -            -      234 

74.  \'ariations  in  assemblage  of  the  buildings  of  a  quadrangle,  -            236 

75.  Assemblage  of  quadrangles  in  clusters,  -            -            -            .      236 

76.  Transverse  section  of  building  of  single  beam  span,  -            -            238 

77.  Transverse  section  of  building  of  double  beam  span,      -  -            -      239 

78.  Construction  of  single  doorway,  employed  where  space  was  limited,         240 

79.  Construction  of  triple  doorway,  one-half  only  being  shown,  -      241 

80.  Niche  in  the  back  wall  of  the  chambers,  .            -            -            -            242 

81.  Use  (apparent)  of  stone  for  bridging  spaces  between  ceiling  stones,     -      244 

82.  Theoretic  roof  construction,       ------  244 

83.  Continuity  of  paneled  zones  around  the  buildings,  -             -             -      246 

84.  Mosaic  patterns,  angular  forms,  .            .            -            .            .            248 

85.  Mosaic  patterns,  angular  and  curved  forms,          -  -             -             .      249 

86.  Insertion  of  stones  with  curved  portions  of  the  design  carved  upon  their 

surfaces,  --------      250 


ILLUSTRATIONS,    PART    II CONTINUED.  I47 

Fig.  Page. 

87.  Stones  of  eccentric  shape  used  where  designs  turn  corners  of  chambers,  250 

88.  Forms  of  ordinary  dentate  stones  used  in  mural  mosaics,  -  -      251 

89.  Small  section  of  painted  design  from  lintel  in  the  Catholic  Establish- 

ment Group,       .--...--      253 

90.  Small  portion  of  painted  design  from  a  lintel  panel  in  the  Arroyo  Group,  254 

91.  Sketch  of  painted  lintels,  Arroyo  Group,  -----      255 

92.  Section  and  perspective  of  Hall  of  the  Six  Columns,  looking  east,  261 

93.  Sketch  plan  of  Hall  of  the  Six  Columns  and  the  annexed  consolidated 

Quadrangle  of  the  Grecques,         .  -  -  .  .  262 

94.  Section  and  perspective  of  the  composite  group  usually  called  Palace 

No.  I,            -            -            -            -            -            -  -            -  263 

95.  Drawing  showing  bed  and  sockets  of  ceiling  beams,        -            -  -      265 

96.  Plan  of  northwest  corner  of  Quadrangle  of  the  Grecques,  -            -  266 

97.  Section  and  perspective  of  the  Building  of  the  Basement  Galleries,  -      268 

98.  Sketch  of  south  end  of  pyramid,  showing  concrete  floors,  -             -  274 

99.  Gateway  of  fortification,  looking  out,  .  .  .  -  .  277 
100.  Method  of  cutting  out  blocks  of  trachyte  in  the  quarry,  -  -  281 
loi.  Partly  hewn  block  of  trachyte  at  base  of  lower  bluff  two  miles  east  of 

Mitla,             --------  282 

102.  Partially  hewn  block  of  trachyte  showing  progress  of  cutting,  -       283 

103.  Picks  found  around  the  large  hewn  stone,       -  .            -            .  284 

104.  Portion  of  ground  plan  of  building  uncovered  by  Charnay,       -  -      291 

105.  Mutilated  figure  of  a  deity,       ------  296 

106.  Figure  of  a  deity,     --------      297 

107.  Perforations  in  upper  end  of  onyx  tablet,        -  .            .            .  ^04 

108.  Engraved  figure  of  deity  from  onyx  tablet,  ...  -  305 
log.  Bone  drill  as  it  appeared  in  the  broken  tablet,  -  -  -  307 
no.  Bone  drill  used  in  perforating  onyx  tablet,           -            .            .  -      308 

111.  Yoke  of  chlorite,  with  partially  developed  figure  of  the  frog,  -  310 

112.  Complete  design  from  the  sculptured  yoke  illustrated  in  PI.  LII,        -      311 

113.  Front  or  face  view  of  stone  yoke  copied  from  Strebel,  -  -  315 

114.  Design  from  the  Strebel  yoke  projected  on  a  plain  surface,        -  -      316 

115.  Devices  of  the  closed  yoke  simplified  to  show  analogies  with  designs  on 

the  Strebel  yoke,  ....--.      -516 

116.  Sections  of  the  yokes  shown  in  Fig  in  and  in  PI.  LII,        -  -  320 

117.  Feathered  serpent  in  relief,  occupying  the  periphery  of  a  cylinder,      -      321 

118.  Bas-relief  from  periphery  of  annular  stone,  i^,  PI.  LIII,      -  -  322 

119.  Device  occupying  the  upper  surface  of  the  stone  ring,  PI.  LIII  b,  323 

120.  Symbols  of  the  four  seasons  sculptured  on  the  inner  walls  of  the  stone 

box,  ---------  323 

•121.     Feathered  serpent  carved  in  relief  on  the  upper  and  back  surfaces  of  the 

greenstone  sculpture  illustrated  in  PI.  LVI,         -  -  -  325 


PREFATORY  NOTE. 


The  short  period  intervening  between  the  publication  of  the  first 
part  of  this  paper  and  the  completion  of  the  part  now  issued,  has 
witnessed  much  activity  in  the  exploration  and  study  of  Mexican  and 
Central  American  antiquities,  and  numerous  publications,  treating  of 
the  subject  in  one  or  another  of  its  phases,  have  appeared.  Seler  has 
added  an  important  work  on  the  mural  paintings  of  Mitla;  Maler  has 
described  several  heretofore  little  known  ruins  of  Yucatan;  Mercer 
has  published  a  valuable  study  of  the  Yucatec  cave  formations;  Le 
Plongeon  has  gotten  out  his  long  delayed  book  on  Maya  remains; 
Maudslay  has  issuedan  excellent  work  on  Chichen-Itza;  andthe  Peabody 
Museum  has  sent  out  a  handsome  volume  on  the  ruins  of  Copati. 
Some  of  these  publications  relate  to  the  territory  covered  by  the 
present  study,  but  their  contents  are  not  of  such  a  nature  as  to  make 
necessary  any  change  in  this  sketch  as  originally  planned. 

I  am  much  indebted  to  numerous  friends  for  commendation  and 
criticism  of  Part  I  of  this  work.  Mr.  Maudslay  has  called  attention 
(Nature,  July,  1896)  to  the  fact  that  the  serpent  columns  of  Chichen- 
Itza  terminate  above  in  the  rattles  of  the  rattlesnake,  as  I  had  surmised, 
but  that  instead  of  projecting  horizontally,  the  tail  is  turned  upward 
at  the  tip,  standing  free  of  the  entablature.  It  happens  that  this 
form  is  correctly  shown  in  the  fallen  capstone,  Fig.  40  of  Part  I  of 
this  paper.  I  have  already  made  this  correction  in  a  cut  published 
with  some  notes  in  the  American  Antiquarian  for  June,  i8g6.  Mr. 
Maudslay  points  out  that  the  statement  made  on  page  102  of  Part  I, 
to  the  effect  that  the  Mayas  held  possession  of  Chichen-Itza  for  two 
hundred  years  after  the  conquest,  seems  to  require  explanation.  This 
statement  was  intended  to  refer  to  Uxmal  and  to  express  the  idea  that 
this  place,  along  with  the  territory  in  which  it  stands,  was  not  fully 
taken  possession  of  by  the  Spaniards  for  about  that  length  of  time. 

]\Ir.  Maudslay  has  in  preparation  a  very  elaborate  work  on  the 
ruins  of  Palenque,  and  has  had  the  kindness  to  forward  for  my  use 
his  excellent  map  of  the  city,  beside  numerous  plans  and  sections.  I 
have,  however,  not  made  use  of  these  to  any  great  extent,  as  my 
sketches,  made  on  the  spot,  serve  all  purposes  in  the  presentation  of 
this  brief  account.      I  had  not  full)'  realized  our  great  indebtedness 

149 


150  Prefatory  Note. 

to  Mr.  Maudsla}'  in  our  explorations  until  I  learned  through  a  letter 
from  him  that  the  cutting  down  of  the  forests  and  the  uncovering  of 
many  of  the  ruins  were  due  to  his  enterprise. 

The  contemplated  final  chapter  on  the  origin  and  development 
of  ancient  Mexican  architecture  will  take  the  form  of  a  separate  pub- 
lication, as  it  is  too  voluminous  for  insertion  here.  In  its  place,  how- 
ever, I  have  added  a  short  chapter  on  Mexican  sculpture,  illustrated 
by  a  few  specimens  of  special  interest.  Although  these  pieces  have 
been  presented  to  the  Museum  by  Mr.  Armour,  and  are  thus  appro- 
priately' described  in  this  work,  they  were  not  secured  by  him  in  Mex- 
ico, but  obtained  from  private  owners  in  this  country.  It  has  not 
been  attempted,  either  by  Mr.  Armour  or  the  Museum,  to  import  any 
important  object  of  antiquity  from  Mexico,  but  such  examples  as 
have  come  within  reach  have  been  secured  and  cared  for,  and  I  am 
fortunate  in  being  able  to  publish  some  of  these  for  the  benefit  of 
students. 

Delay  in  the  issue  of  this  publication  is  the  result  of  pressure  of 
Museum  duties  and  the  extremely  tedious  work  of  preparing  the 
numerous  drawings. 


RUINS  OF  CHIAPAS. 


PALEiNQUE. 


INTRODUCTORY.  The  voyage  from  Progreso,  Yucatan,  to 
Laguna  or  Carmen,  in  Campeche,  and  the  journey  thence  by  land  and 
water  to  Santo  Domingo  del  Palenque,  have  already  been  sketched  in 
the  itinerary,  Part  I,  and  need  not  be  elaborated  here.  The  distance 
traversed  was  some  500  miles,  much  the  larger  part  of  which  was  by 
sea.  The  trip  inland  from  Carmen  was  exceedingly  interesting  and 
refreshing,  the  country  affording  a  most  grateful  contrast  with  the 
monotonous  landscape  of  the  peninsula.  The  ancient  cities  of  Yuca- 
tan are  situated  in  the  midst  of  forest  covered,  yet  arid,  plains,  and 
owe  all  they  have  of  striking  or  picturesque  effect  to  the  vast  systems 
of  artificial  terraces  and  pyramids  upon  which  they  are  built,  but 
Palenque  is  set  back  against  the  steep  slopes  of  the  Tumbala  foot- 
hills, and  is  buried  in  luxuriant  forests  through  which  descend 
throughout  the  entire  season  (save  when  swollen  by  heavy  rains) 
limpid  and  refreshing  mountain  streams.  To  the  mystery  and  grand- 
eur of  the  ruined  monuments  are  added  the  peculiar  charms  of  trop- 
ical environment,  and  a  visit  to  Palenque  is  like  a  glimpse  into 
fairyland. 

Approaching  the  ruins  of  Palenque  from  the  village  of  Santo 
Domingo  del  Palenque,  some  eight  miles  away,  following  obscure 
trails  over  the  low  forest-clad  foot-hills,  we  reached  a  small  stream 
called  the  Rio  Michol,  and  a  little  farther  on  crossed  a  small  west- 
ern tributary  called  the  Otolum,  which  descends  from  the  highland 
through  the  ruined  city.  Following  the  left  bank  of  this  stream  we 
ascended  several  hundreds  of  feet  by  steep  stages,  encountering  ter- 
races, fallen  walls  and  scattering  masses  of  architectural  debris  at 
every  turn.  At  the  left  could  be  heard  coming  up  from  far  below,  the 
music  of  cascades  echoing  and  re-echoing  through  the  deep  forest. 
Finally  we  came  to  a  halt  against  a  steep  slope,  densely  covered  with 
young  forest,  which  proved  to  be  the  northeast  corner  of  the  pyramid 
of  the  great  ruin  called  the  Palace.  We  left  our  horses  in  charge  of 
the  Indian  packers,  and  climbing  the  rocky  terrace,  entered  the  build- 

151 


152  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

ing  and,  as  others  had  done  before  us,  took  up  our  residence  in  the 
corridors  separating  the  two  great  courts.  Having  thus  established 
ourselves,  we  began  at  once  the  difficult  task  of  locating  the  various 
buildings  now  almost  wholly  hidden  by  the  rank  young  forest  growth 
which  has  sprung  up  in  the  few  years  since  clearings  were  made  by 
former  explorers,  A.  P.  Maudslay  probably  being  the  latest.  The  area 
occupied  by  the  principal  monuments  is  comparatively  small,  and  is 
confined  to  the  sides  of  the  narrow  gorge  of  the  Otolum  at  the  point 
of  its  emergence  from  the  mountains.  Little  idea  could  be  obtained 
of  the  general  appearance  of  the  remains,  for  only  their  summits 
appeared  above  the  foliage,  and  all  that  could  be  seen  of  the  sur- 
rounding landscape  were  the  wooded  spurs,  several  hundreds  of  feet 
high,  that  overlook  the  city,  and  the  forest  covered  slopes  below  fad- 
ing out  in  the  great  plain  to  the  north. 

The  exploration  of  Palenque  is  as  yet  hardly  begun,  as  detailed 
observations  and  records,  even  of  the  most  superficial  phenomena, 
have  not  extended  beyond  a  few  of  the  better  preserved  structures. 
It  is  impossible  to  say,  therefore,  what  will  N'et  be  unearthed  from 
these  ruins  and  the  many  others  said  to  be  scattered  through  the 
almost  impenetrable  forest. 

Of  the  builders  of  Palenque  little  definite  knowledge  has  been 
obtained.  History  seems  to  furnish  absolutely  nothing,  but  arche- 
ology enables  us  to  say  that  the  people  were  probably  of  the  Maya 
stock  and  intimately  related  with  other  better  known  Tvlaya  groups. 

The  literature  of  Palenque  is  already  quite  voluminous,  the  works 
of  Del  Rio,  Dupaix,  Waldeck,  Stephens  and  Charnay  affording  an  inter- 
esting and  valuable  body  of  information,  and  the  compilations  of  Kings- 
borough,  Rau  and  Bancroft  doing  much  to  bring  order  out  of  chaos. 
Morlet,  Brine  and  others  have  sketched  interesting  visits,  and  Mr. 
A.  P.  ^Maudslay  has  in  preparation  a  systematic  study,  which  may  be 
counted  upon  to  furnish  the  most  thorough  and  scientific  presentation 
of  the  subject  yet  made.  My  own  work  here  was  limited  to  four  days 
only,  and  though  this  time  was  utilized  to  its  fullest  extent,  I  was  not 
able  to  explore  and  study  more  than  a  few  of  the  principal  ruins,  and 
no  attempt  at  monographic  treatment  of  the  group  will  be  attempted. 
Observations  will  be  made  upon  the  more  interesting  features  and 
characteristics  of  the  buildings  visited,  and  the  descriptive  matter 
will  be  presented  with  the  panoramic  view  as  a  basis. 

The  situation  of  the  city  is  remote  from  thoroughfares  of  travel  and 
many  miles  distant  from  any  settlement  that  can  afford  the  conveniences 
and  facilities  necessary  to  the  tourist  or  explorer,  and  the  site  has,  there- 
fore,   had   an    exceptionally   small  number  of    visitors.      It    is  some 


Feb.   1897.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


153 


eighty  miles  south  of  Carmen,  on  the  Gulf  coast,  thirty  miles  from 
the  Usumacinta  river,  and  lodged  against  the  northern  base  of  the 
mountain  ranges  that  border  on  Guatemala.  A  small  sketch  map  is 
here  inserted,  Fig.  42,  to  indicate  its  general  position. 


L    F 


MEXICO 


Fig.  42.    Sketch  Map  Locating  Palenque. 

The  journey  from  Carmen  was  by  way  of  the  Palizada  and  Usumacinta  rivers  to  the  Chiapas 
boundary  at  the  point  marked  by  a  cross  (x);  thence  southwest  by  the  most  direct  waterways  to 
Catasaja  lagoon.    Scale  about  2;  miles  to  the  inch. 

PANORAMIC  VIEW.  Our  attention  during  the  four  days  spent 
here  was  given  almost  wholly  to  the  Palace  and  the  five  principal 
temples  which  rise  above  it  against  the  hillsides,  and  these  buildings 
are  about  all  that  can  be  made  to  appear  in  the  panorama,  which  has 
been  rather  hastily  drawn,  though  carefully  worked  out  as  to  position 
of  the  monuments  and  general  effects  of  the  group.  The  point  of 
view  was  of  necessity  assumed,  and  is  a  little  to  the  north  of  the  Pal- 
ace, as  indicated  on  the  accompanying  sketch  map,  and  at  a  level 
about  equal  to  that  of  the  top  of  the  Temple  of  the  Cross,  a  hundred 


154  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

feet  at  least  above  the  roof  of  the  Palace.  We  are  thus  looking 
almost  directly  up  the  forest-clad  gorge  of  the  Otolum  and  have  our 
backs  toward  the  far-reaching  plain.  Beneath  our  point  of  view  and 
back  of  it,  on  the  slope,  are  other  ruins  of  buildings,  walls  and  ter- 
races, to  include  which  would  reduce  the  effectiveness  of  the  main 
features  of  the  view.  The  omission  of  the  forest  was  absolutely  nec- 
essary to  the  display  of  the  ruins,  and  conventionalized  foliage  has 
been  employed  to  assist  in  bringing  out  the  poorly  defined  forms  and 
in  obscuring  parts  of  which  nothing  definite  is  known.  It  should  be 
kept  in  mind  that  in  the  actual  view  nothing  would  be  seen,  even  from 
the  point  of  view  assumed,  but  a  few  slight  bits  of  the  crests  of  ruins 
and  a  glimpse  perhaps  into  the  principal  court  of  the  Palace,  which 
has  been  kept  clear  of  young  trees  from  year  to  year  by  casual  vis- 
itors. 

The  Palace,  A,  is  seen  at  the  right  in  the  foreground;  beyond 
rises  the  lofty  Temple  of  the  Inscriptions,  B;  and  farther  up  the 
stream,  set  in  against  the  hillside,  is  the  Temple  of  the  Beau  Relief,  C. 
At  the  left,  across  the  gorge,  are  three  buildings  crowning  as  many 
pyramids;  the  first  at  the  left  is  the  Temple  of  the  Cross,  D,  seen 
from  the  back;  the  second,  to  the  right,  is  the  Temple  of  the  Sun,  E, 
also  seen  from  the  back;  and  between  these  and  a  little  farther  away 
is  the  Temple  of  the  Cerro,  or  Cross  No.  2  of  Charnay,  F.  In  the 
immediate  foreground  may  be  detected  the  arched  opening,  G,  of  the 
mj^sterious  waterway  through  which  the  Otolum  passes  for  several 
hundred  feet. 

ORIENTATION  AND  ASSEMBLAGE.  The  placement  of  the  build- 
ings of  Palenque  would  seem  to  be  due  more  to  the  position  and  trend 
of  the  natural  features  of  the  site  than  to  any  regard  for  the  points  of 
the  compass,  though  there  is  recognizable  a  general  tendency  to  con- 
form to  these  points.  The  walls  of  the  Palace  vary  from  5  to  15 
degrees  from  the  magnetic  meridian  and  agree  in  the  main  with  the 
course  of  the  stream  and  its  banks.  The  Temple  of  the  Beau  Relief 
is  a  little  nearer  exact  in  its  orientation,  but  is  also  in  harmony 
with  the  topography.  The  others  vary  front  20  to  45  degrees  from 
the  magnetic  placement.  Of  the  principal  temples  one  faces  north, 
two  face  east,  one  faces  south  and  one  west  (all  approximately), 
and  have  thus  slight  suggestion  of  uniform  relations  with  the  valley 
or  stream,  or  with  the  grand  pile  of  the  Palace  which  takes  a  central 
position  with  respect  to  the  whole  group  of  remains.  The  assem- 
blage throughout  is,  therefore,  somewhat  incoherent,  convenience  of 
proximity  and  adaptation  to  topography  having  doubtless  largely 
governed  the  placement. 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  155 

One  of  the  most  noteworthy  features  of  the  group  of  remains  is 
the  elaborate  system  of  terraces  bordering  the  stream  and  leveling  up 
the  irregular  features  of  the  topography,  even  extending  in  a  large 
measure  to  the  neighboring  hills.  Their  trend  was  regulated  partly 
by  the  topography  of  the  site  and  partly,  it  would  seem,  by  a  desire 
of  the  builders  to  conform  to  the  points  of  the  compass. 

MATERIALS  AND  MASONRY.  As  with  the  Yucatec  cities,  there 
is  here  an  abundant  suppl}^  of  limestone — the  only  available  building 
rock  in  the  districts  visited  by  our  party — but  it  is  harder  and  less 
even  in  texture  than  the  limestone  of  the  north,  and  is  often  very 
refractory.  It  was,  therefore,  not  used  extensively  for  cutting  and 
carving,  but  was  broken  up  into  portable  masses  and  laid  in  mortar 
with  natural  or  rough  trimmed  faces,  and  the  surfaces  were  plastered 
and  decorated  in  stucco-work  or  color.  The  walls  of  the  tower  afford 
a  good  example  of  this  class  of  work,  the  stones  used  being  small 
and  heterogeneous  in  shape.  The  laying  of  regular  courses  of  hewn 
stone  was  rare  in  the  building  of  walls;  large  stones  were  often  used 
where  particular  stress  was  expected  or  where  true,  firm  angles  were' 
desired,  as  about  doorways  and  openings,  in  cornices,  ceilings,  piers, 
arch -caps,  roof-combs,  etc.,  but  even  these  are  seldom  well  dressed 
as  their  surfaces  were  rarely  intended  to  be  exposed  to  view,  every 
part,  even  the  smoothest,  receiving  coatings  of  plaster  or  washes 
of  color.  Inner  stairways  employed  large,  well-squared  stones,  and 
numerous  large  slabs  were  required  in  the  making  of  tablets,  which 
were  covered  with  inscriptions  and  figure  subjects  in  low  relief  and 
set  in  plaster  against  the  walls  of  temples,  or  in  sloping  positions 
around  the  courts,  forming  no  essential  part  of  the  constructive  work. 

No  quarries  have  been  located,  and  it  is  not  probable  that  well 
marked  examples  exist,  as  the  getting  out  of  large  masses  of  stone 
was  exceptional  and  the  bulk  of  the  masonry  was  made  up  largely  of 
loose  surface  material. 

Vast  bodies  of  mortar  were  used  in  the  walls  and  hearting,  as 
well  as  in  stucco  work.  Although  it  has  been  suggested  by  some 
writer  that  the  lime  was  probably  obtained  by  collecting  and  burning 
small  land-shells,  which  abound  in  this  region,  it  seems  to  me  much 
more  reasonable  to  suppose  that  lime  was  burned  from  limestone, 
as  must  have  been  the  case  in  other  sections  where  mollusks  do  not 
abound. 

So  far  as  I  am  able  to  determine,  there  was  here,  as  in  Yucatan, 
little  admixture  of  sand  with  the  lime.  The  term  ntortar  serves  to 
designate  the  whole  range  of  mixtures  used  in  masonry,  stucco  mod- 
eling and  surface  finish,  without  reference  to  composition.      Lime  is 


156         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

everywhere  the  chief  ingredient,  though  sand  has  been  used  in  some 
cases  as  well  as  coarser  materials,  the  latter  having  been  added  where- 
ever  floors,  pavements  and  roofs  were  to  be  laid.  Specimens  of  white, 
fine  grained  mortar  brought  home  from  Cozumel,  Uxmal  and  Palenque 
have  been  examined  by  Professor  O.  C.  Farrington,  and  the  following 
statement  is  furnished  by  him.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  the  specimens 
submitted  to  him  are  of  the  finer,  purer  varieties  and  do  not  repre- 
sent the  full  range  of  mortars.  Professor  Farrington's  notes  are  as 
follows: 

"The  specimens  of  ancient  Mexican  mortar  submitted  to  me  for 
examination  were  for  convenience  numbered  i,  2,  3  and  4. 

"No.  I,  from  Palenque,  was  white  in  color,  porous,  fairly  tough, 
amorphous  and  homogeneous  in  texture  except  for  a  small  quartz 
pebble  which  it  included. 

"  No.  2,  from  Palenque,  was  of  similar  color  and  texture  but  very 
tough  and  compact. 

"No.  3,  from  Cozumel,  was  yellowish-white,  porous,  friable  and 
granular,  and  contained  lumps  of  pure  white,  more  compact  material. 

"No.  4,  from  Uxmal,  was  similar  to  No.  3  in  color,  tenacity  and 
texture,  but  contained  also  harder  and  darker  grains. 

"  Fragments  of  the  specimens  were  first  treated  with  hydrochloric 
acid  in  order  to  determine  whether  sand  or  clay,  or  any  substance 
other  than  lime  or  limestone,  had  been  used  in  making  the  mortar. 
All,  however,  were  completely  dissolved  without  residue  (except 
No.  4,  which  gave  a  slight,  fiocculent  residue  of  silica  evidently  not 
derived  from  the  addition  of  a  foreign  substance),  and  therefore  must 
be  considered  as  wholly  made  up  of  limestone. 

"The  next  point  of  inquiry  was  as  to  whether  lime  had  been 
used  in  the  making  of  the  mortar  as  is  the  modern  practice.  The  speci- 
mens were  tested  for  free  lime  by  digesting  twelve  hours  in  cold 
water.  The  solution  then  gave  an  alkaline  reaction  and  a  slight  pre- 
cipitate of  calcium  carbonate  with  sodium  carbonate.  These  tests, 
though  indicating  that  lime  was  present,  were  not  sufficiently  decisive 
to  prove  it.  If  lime  were  used  in  making  the  mortar  it  is  a  question 
whether  it  would  not  by  this  time  be  all  converted  to  carbonate  by 
its  long  exposure.  In  this  case  no  chemical  test  would  show  any  dis- 
tinction. The  only  difference,  then,  to  be  detected  between  lime  and 
powdered  limestone,  as  used  in  the  mortar,  would  be  one  of  texture. 
That  lime  was  used  I  believe  to  be  indicated  by  the  compact  texture 
of  Nos.  I  and  2,  and  the  whiter  lumps  scattered  through  Nos.  3  and 
4.  The  texture  and  compactness  of  these  is  such  that  they  can 
hardly  have  been  formed  from  anything  else  than  lime. 


Feb.  1897.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  157 

"On  grinding  some  of  the  limestone  of  the  region,  mixing  it 
with  water  and  allowing  it  to  drj^  it  was  found  to  set  to  quite  a  firm 
mass.  It  is  probable,  therefore,  as  the  appearance  of  Nos.  3  and  4 
indicate,  that  material  of  this  character  was  mixed  with  lime  for 
making  the  mortar.  I  believe,  however,  mortar  such  as  Nos.  i  and  2 
to  have  been  made  wholly  from  lime,  which  was  probably  obtained  by 
burning  the  limestone  of  the  region." 

Wood  was  extensively  used  for  lintels,  but,  strange  to  say,  no 
specimen  has  been  preserved.  This  latter  fact  is  used  as  an  argument 
for  great  age  by  some  writers,  but  in  considering  this  point  we  must 
keep  in  mind  two  facts;  first,  that  Palenque  is  situated  in  a  more  than 
usuall}'  moist  district,  and  the  prevalent  moisture  must  have  con- 
tributed to  hasten  decay,  and  second,  we  cannot  be  sure  that  the  wood 
employed  b}'  these  builders  was  the  very  durable  zapote  and  not  some 
local  variety  yielding  more  readily  to  decay.  That  wood  was  much 
used  is  demonstrated  by  the  presence  of  hundreds  of  vacant  lintel 
spaces,  some  of  which  show  plaster  impressions  of  the  general  shape 
of  the  beam  if  not  of  the  peculiar  characters  of  the  woody  surface. 
At  least  three  hundred  lintels  were  used  in  the  Palace  alone.  The 
removal  and  replacement  of  these  beams,  as  they  became  weakened 
by  deca}^  must  have  been  a  great  burden  to  the  builders,  and  it  seems 
a  wonder  that  the  offset  arch  was  not  more  fully  adopted  for  open- 
ings, exterior  as  well  as  interior.  The  use  of  wood  was  the  great  ele- 
ment of  weakness  in  these  buildings,  leading  to  the  destruction  or 
partial  breaking  down  of  ever}-  facade  in  Palenque. 

CONSTRUCTION.  The  constructive  characteristics  of  these 
buildings  have  been  referred  to  in  the  introductory  pages  (Part  I), 
where  a  number  of  illustrations  were  given  which  served  to  indicate 
the  many  analogies  and  the  numerous  and  striking  differences  in  the 
buildings  of  the  two  provinces.  A  brief  review  of  the  principal 
features  of  the  Palenque  constructions  may  be  introduced  in  this  place. 

SUBSTRUCTURES.  The  substructures  must  receive  brief  atten- 
tion. In  the  better  known  cluster  of  ruins  there  are  upward  of 
a  dozen  important  pyramids  of  greatly  varying  style  and  dimensions, 
eight  only  retaining  considerable  or  extensive  remains  of  their  super- 
structures. Of  the  latter  the  panorama  shows  the  Palace,  the  Temple 
of  the  Inscriptions,  the  Temple  of  the  Beau  Relief,  the  Temple  of  the 
Sun,  the  Temple  of  the  Cross  and  the  Temple  of  the  Cerro  or  Cross 
No.  2.  It  is  difficult  to  secure  a  definite  knowledge  of  the  original 
appearance  of  these  mounds,  as  they  are  very  much  broken  down, 
forming  conical  heaps,  or  are  obscured  by  debris  or  vegetation. 
Some  are  built  on  approximately  level  ground  and  are  symmetrical 


158         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,   Vol.    i. 

in  outline,  while  others  are  set  against  the  mountain  sides,  taking  the 
character  of  terraces.  The  slopes  are  steep — reaching  45  degrees  or 
more — and  it  is  evident  that  all,  or  nearly  all,  were  faced  with  hewn 
stone  or  finished  in  plaster.  Some  were  terraced,  and  the  Palace  had 
the  slightly  sloping  faces  of  the  successive  steps  paneled  or  coffered  — 
in  part  at  least — in  hewn  stone,  something  as  in  the  pyramid  of 
El  Castillo  at  Chichen-Itza.      The  greatest  height  is  about  80  feet. 

Much  diversity  of  opinion  has  been  expressed  with  respect  to 
the  stairways  by  means  of  which  the  pyramids  were  ascended.  It 
seems  reasonable  that  a  building  having  a  single  entrance  should 
be  approached  by  a  single  stairway,  but  Stephens  and  others  seem 
to  convey  the  idea  that  some  of  the  temple  pyramids  have,  or  had, 
stairs  on  all  sides  and  covering  the  entire  surface.  That  such  is  or 
ever  was  the  case  I  am  inclined  to  seriously  question.  It  is  to  be 
expected,  however,  that  if  the  building  has  doorways  on  all  sides 
there  will  be  stairways  to  correspond;  and  I  am  of  the  opinion  that 
one  or  more  flights  will  be  found  to  have  existed  for  each  front  of  the 
broad  compound  terrace  of  the  Palace.  Most  of  the  stairways 
exposed  to  view  at  the  present  time  are  short  interior  flights  built  of 
hewn  stone,  though  a  few  are  of  rough  masonry  and  were  probably 
finished  in  plaster. 

It  appears  that  the  ancient  builders  did  very  extensive  remodeling 
of  the  original  topographic  forms  adjoining  their  structures,  and  the 
terraces,  rising  from  the  stream  level  to  the  levels  upon  which  the 
pyramids  stand,  have  been  graded  and  probably  faced — as  were  the 
pyramids-^and  furnished  with  convenient  stairways.  The  surface  of 
nearly  the  entire  area  included  in  my  map,  PL  XXIV,  besides  much 
beyond  its  limits,  has  been  remodeled  by  human  hands. 

As  to  the  composition  of  the  interior  mass  or  hearting  of  the 
pyramids,  I  could  form  little  idea,  save  from  the  appearance  of  the 
debris  in  cases  where  there  were  breaches  not  entirely  hidden  by  the 
omnipresent  vegetation.  There  can  be  little  doubt,  however,  that, 
as  in  Yucatan,  it  consists  of  heterogeneous  bodies  of  earth  and  stones, 
with  mortar  where  it  was  most  needed.  It  would  appear  that  often, 
if  not  generally,  the  construction  was  first  carried  up  with  vertical 
walls  and  that  abutting  masonry  was  afterwards  added,  forming  a 
slope  corresponding  to  that  adopted  for  the  stairways.  The  platform 
floors  were  as  a  rule  finished  in  cement  or  concrete,  but  slabs  of  lime- 
stone were  used  to  a  limited  extent. 

SUPERSTRUCTURES — Ground  Plan.  The  buildings  of  Palenque, 
so  far  as  preserved,  occupy  nearl}'  the  entire  area  of  the  platforms  of 
the  substructures,  and  I  saw  no  esplanade  having  a  width  of  more  than 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  159 

six  or  eight  feet ;  generally  it  is  less  than  three  feet.  In  the  temples 
the  ground  plan  is  extremely  simple  and  uniform,  but  it  is  quite  com- 
plex in  the  one  great  structure,  or  group  of  structures,  called  the 
Palace.  The  buildings  consist,  in  most  cases,  of  vaults,  constructed 
very  much  the  same  as  in  Yucatan,  arranged  in  pairs  under  a  roof  that 
slopes  from  a  medial  ridge  to  the  eaves  at  both  sides  and  ends.  The 
temple  plans  given  in  Fig. 43  show  the  front  wall,  interrupted  more 
or  less  frequently — one,  three  or  five  times — by  doorways,  and  the 
medial  wall  separating  the  two  vaults  perforated  by  as  many  door- 
ways as  there  are  apartments  in  the  back  vault.  The  essentials  of 
the  plan  are  a  vestibule  occupying  the  entire  front  vault  and  a  sanc- 
tuary occupying  all  or  part  of  the  back  vault,  t  In  several  cases  par- 
tition walls  divide  the  inner  vault  into  a  sanctuary  and  two  lateral 
chambers,  as  seen  in  c  and  d.  A  most  notable  feature  of  the  better 
class  of  structures  is  an  inner  sanctuary  or  tablet  room,  which  is  a 
small  chamber  built  within  the  sanctuary  and  against  the  back  wall, 
as  indicated  in  d. 


Fig.  43.     Ground  Plans  of  Temples  Showing  Progress  in  Specialization  of 

Features. 

a.  The  simplest  form  with  vestibule  and  tablet  room  entered  by  single  doorways. 

b.  Triple  entrance  and  special  tablet  room. 

c.  Five  doorways  and  a  tablet  room  with  lateral  chambers. 

d.  Addition  of  an  inner  sanctuary  intended  to  still  further  seclude  the  sacred  tablet. 
The  tablet  in  each  case  is  placed  against  the  back  wall  at  X. 

The  great  cluster  of  buildings  called  the  Palace,  (see  panorama), 
consists  for  the  most  part  of  a  remarkable  aggregation  of  the  double 
vault  units  which  vary  in  length  and  arrangement  of  apartments  as 
indicated  somewhat  closely  on  the  map,  and  in  Fig.  49.  In  the  lower- 
level  building,  at  the  south  end,  three  long  east  and  west  vaults  are 
placed  side  by  side.  There  seem  originally  to  have  been  few  parti- 
tions in  the  open  or  corridor-like  vaults  of  the  exterior  as  well  as  most 
of  the  interior  ranges,  though  thin  walls  have  been  added  in  some  cases. 

The  Tower  is  unique  in  many  of  its  features.  It  has  been  de- 
scribed as  "  a  tower  within  a  tower, "  but  this  indicates  a  misconception 
as  it  is  rather  to  be  regarded  as  a  building  with  a  single  square 
enclosure  or  room  on  each  floor,  upward  through  the  center  of  which 
a  stairway  has  been  built,  the  so-called  inner  tower  being  only  the 


i6o         FiKLD  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 


masonry  column  necessary  to  support  and  contain  the  stairway.  The 
plan,  Fig.  44.  A,  is  somewhat  analogous  to  that  of  the  round  tower  of 
Chichen,  Fig.  44,  B,  where  there  is  a  cylindrical  central  column  con- 
taining the  stairs. 


F;g.  *44. 


h 

B  A 

Ground  Plans  of  Round  and  Square  Towers  Compared. 


a.    Four  sections  of  walls. 
p.    Four  doorways. 

c.  Inclosed  spaces- 

d.  Central  shafts  carrying  stairs. 

e.  Entrances  to  stairways.  The  spiral  stairway  passes  up  through  the  central  column  and 
over  the  arch  all  the  way  through  solid  masonry.  The  other  has  a  flight  and  landing  for  each  story 
(Lower  flight  in  solid  lines,  upper  in  dotted  lines.) 

Of  course  in  the  Chichen  tower  we  have  a  second  wall  added 
without,  not  shown  here,  and  the  vaults  are  arched,  while  in  the  Palace 
tower  some  vaults  are  arched  and  others  llat,  according  to  the  availa- 
ble vertical  space. 

Profile  and  Construction.  The  construction  of  the  Palenque 
building  is  well  shown  in  the  generalized  section,  presented  in  Fig. 
45,  which  should  be  compared  with  the  section  of  a  Yucatec  build- 
ing given  in  Fig.  5,  Part  I.  and  with  the  Mitlan  building  farther  on 
in  these  pages. 

The  walls  are  from  2  to  4  feet  thick  and  rise  directly  from  the 
pavement  with  vertical  faces  to  the  spring  of  the  arch  within  and 
to  the  eave  moldings  without — a  height  varjing  from  8  to  10  feet. 
The  vault  face  within  has  a  slope  of  some  65  or  70  degrees,  while  the 
outer  surface,  instead  of  rising  vertically  as  in  Yucatan,  slopes  inward 
at  an  angle  corresponding  pretty  closely  with  that  of  the  soffit  slope 
within.  The  medial  molding  of  the  Yucatec  wall  becomes  the  eaves 
molding  of  the  Palenque  building,  and  at  the  level  of  the  cap-stone  of 
the  arch  there  is  e.xteriorly  a  second  line  of  moldings,  corresponding 
to  the  cornice  molding  or  coping  of  the  Yucatec  structures  ;  and 
above  this  the  roof  proper  has  a  much  reduced  pitch,  giving  the  effect 
of  a  mansard  roof.      The  vault  within  never  exceeds  10  feet  in  width, 


Feb.  1897.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


i6i 


.;.A 


Fig.   45.     Transverse   Section    (Somewhat   Generalized)   Showing   Construction 

OF  Palenque  Buildings. 

a.  Outer  stairway  ascending  pyramid. 

b.  Inner  stairway  ascending  from  court  ;  relation  of  stairways  to  body  of  pyramid  somewhat 
uncertain  (see  dotted  lines). 

c.  Pier  separating  doorways  ;  section  of  wooden  iintels  (restored)  above. 

d.  Doorway  tlirougfi  medial  wall  connecting  corridors  ;  cord  liolders  at  sides. 
e.    Inner  pier  and  doorway  facing  court. 

/.    Trefoil  opening  through  medial  wall. 
g,  h.    Two  principal  varieties  of  roof-comb. 

Projecting  eaves  and  sloping,  decorated  roof. 

but  the  height  in  the  larger  buildings  is  often  18  feet  or  more.  The 
insloping  walls  of  the  arch  are  connected  above  by  slabs  of  limestone, 
as  in  Yucatan.  In  one  or  two  cases  in  Palenque  the  entablature  zone 
(as  defined  in  Part  I)  is  vertical   or  nearly  so,  and  the  roof  proper  is 


i62  Field  Columbian"  Museum — Anthropology,   Vol.  i. 

nearly  flat,  thus  seeming  to  suggest  a  transition  from  the  flat  to  the 
pitched  roof.  Charnay  believes  that  the  difference  between  the 
Yucatec  and  southern  roof  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  difference  in 
climate  between  the  two  sections.  Chiapas  has  a  prolonged  wet 
season,  with  exceedingly  heavy  rains,  and  a  steep  roof  would  become  a 
necessity ;  while  Yucatan  has  much  less  rain  and  the  flat  roof  was 
sufficient  protection.  It  may  be,  however,  that  the  difference  in  pitch 
arose  independent!}'  of  climatic  influences.  When  the  offset  arch 
developed  and  took  the  place  of  the  horizontal  beam  the  several  feet 
of  added  elevation  required  changes  in  exterior  profile,  and  it  seems 
quite  as  natural  that  the  added  exterior  surface  should  slope  inward 
with  the  slope  of  the  arch  forming  a  watershed,  as  that  it  should  be 
carried  up  vertically  as  in  the  Yucatec  structures  and  in  certain  build- 
ings here  in  Palenque.  Allowing,  however,  that  both  forms  are 
independently  developed  from  the  horizontal  span,  it  is  plain  that  the 
sloping  form  is  more  likely  to  have  arisen  in  the  wet  climate  and  the 
vertical  wall  and  flat  roof  in  the  dry  climate. 

The  roof-comb  is  an  important  feature  of  these  structures,  though 
it  is  .absent  in  some  cases,  notably  in  those  having  flattish  roofs.  In 
the  better  preserved  buildings  of  the  Palace  group,  and  in  some  of  the 
temples,  it  appears  to  consist  of  a  balustrade-like  arrangement  of  stone 
slabs,  as  shown  in  the  figure,  but  in  three  or  four  of  the  temples  it 
becomes  a  most  important  and  striking  feature,  as  indicated  by  the 
dotted  lines.  In  these  buildings  the  roof  slopes  continue  around  the 
ends  as  well  as  the  sides,  so  that  the  comb  does  not  extend  the  full 
length  of  the  building,  as  in  Yucatan,  being  limited  to  the  crest 
line. 

Doorways.  The  doorways  of  the  Palenque  buildings  differ  con- 
siderably in  appearance  from  those  of  Yucatan,  but  involve  no  new 
principle  of  construction,  the  peculiarities  being  the  result  of  minor 
differences  in  form  merely. 

Exterior  doorways  are  mere  rectangular  openings  in  the  walls, 
(Fig.  46),  often  so  numerous  that  they  occupy  the  larger  part  of  the 
space,  leaving  squarish  pillars  between.  They  were  spanned  by 
wooden  lintels,  generall}'  in  pairs  or  threes  as  indicated  by  the  impres- 
sions left  in  the  masonry.  The  construction  is  illustrated  in  the 
figure  which  shows  also  the  circular  glyphs  at  the  top  between  the 
lintels  of  adjoining  doorwa3's,  but  the  handsome  reliefs  of  the  pillar 
faces  are  omitted. 

Inner  doorways  are  sometimes  squarish,  as  are  the  outer,  and 
were  spanned  by  stone  or  wood:  but  in  many  cases  they  are  arched 
above,  the  construction  and  style  varying  with  the  situation. 


Feb.  1897.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  163 

Fig.  47  shows  the  effect  of  carrying  the  arch  upward  into  the 
thickening  partition  or  medial  wall,  and  at  the  left  is  seen  a  smaller, 
side  entrance,  not  reaching  up  to  the  spring  of  the  chamber  vault. 
Over  this  is  a  window-like  opening  through  the  partition  wall  arched 
above  as  are  the  doorways. 


Fig.  46.     Exterior  Doorways  and  Piers  with  Wooden  Lintels  (Restored). 

a.  Stairway,  narrow  esplanade  and  entrance. 

b.  Masonry  piers  with  stucco  finish  and  decoration  (omitted). 

c.  Wooden  lintels  restored  conformably  with  sockets, 

d.  Circular  glyph  between  lintels. 

e.  Eaves. 

/.     Sloping  roof  with  stucco  decorations. 

An  ambitious  attempt  at  doorway  elaboration  is  illustrated  in 
Fig.  48.  The  soffit  is  constructed  with  a  double  curve,  which  is  very 
graceful  and  gives  a  somewhat  trefoil  effect  to  the  opening. 

Pillars.  The  specialized  column,  forming  a  square  or  round 
shaft  separating  wide  entrance  ways  and  supporting  the  lintel  and 
entablature,  is  unknown  in  Palenque,  and  we  find  only  the  flat, 
squarish  pillar,  which  is  merely  a  section  of  the  normal  wall  of  the 
building,  separating  doorways.  These  pillars  occur  in  pairs  or  in  larger 
numbers  according  to  the  number  of  the  doorways.  They  are  always 
of  masonry  finished  in  plaster,  and  very  generally  the  exterior  sur- 
face  is    embellished  with   figures  in   stucco,    as    shown   in    PI.    XIX. 


164         FiKLD  Columbian   Museum — Axthkopoi.ogv,  Vol.  i. 

In  all  cases  they  are  marred  at  the  top  by  the  falling  of  the  wooden 
lintels  the  ends  of  which  were  set  into  the  masonry  flush  with  the 
front. 


Fig.  47.     Interior  Doorways  (Through  Medial  Wallj  v/ith  Section  of  Medial 

Wall  and  Ceiling. 

a.  End  wall  of  vestibule  (outer  vault). 

b.  Entrance  to  sanctuary  (rear  vault).    • 

c.  Entrance  to  ante-room. 

d.  Window-like  opening  through  medial  wall. 

e.  Large  cord  holders  at  sides  of  door. 
/.    Small  cord  holders  in  offset  of  vault. 

^.    Section  of  ceiling  showing  capstones  and  roof  masonry. 

Sculpture.  Although  bas-relief  sculpture  and  modeling  in  stucco 
were  practiced  with  boldness  and  much  refinement  in  Palenque, 
sculpture  in  the  round  seems  to  have  been  almost  unknown.  Even 
the  two  figures  found  on  the  slope  of  the  pyramid  of  the  Cross  and 
described  by  Stephens*  are  hardly  more  than  reliefs,  as  the  sides  are 
rounded  merely,  not  sculptured,  and  the  backs  are  flattish  and  rough. 
They  are  not  statuary  in  the  proper  sense,  but  probably  served  as 
pier  fronts  or  balustrade  embellishments.  The  material  is  doubtless 
the  limestone  of  the  vicinit3^  The  example  pictured  by  Stephens  is 
10^  feet  in  height,  though  without  the  head-dress  and  tenon-like 
base  the  figure   is   found  to  be  not  above  5  or  6  feet.      I  was  not  so 

*  Incidents  of  Travel  in  Yucatan,  Vol.  II,  p.  394. 


Feb.  1897. 


Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


165 


fortunate  as  to  find  this  specimen,  though  it  is  probably  still  lying 
at  the  base  of  the  Temple  of  the  Cross  hidden  by  the  dense  under- 
growth. 


Fig.  48.     Interior  Doorway  with  Section  of  Medial  Wall  and  Ceiling. 

a.  Floor  of  outer  corridor. 

6.  Doorway  tiirough  medial  wall  (trefoil  arch,  modified  cuneiform). 

c.  Cord  holders. 

d.  Tau  shaped  niches  and  openings,  section  at  //. 

e.  Stucco  reliefs;  rococo-like  framework  inclosing  relief  busts. 

/.    Trefoil,  window-like  openings  through  medial  wall,  section  at  i. 
g.    Section  of  ceiling  stones  and  roof  masonry. 

It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  mural  sculpture,  so  common  in 
Yucatan,  is  here  replaced  almost  wholly  by  stucco  modeling,  the 
sacred  tablets  set  in  the  walls  of  sanctuaries  in  the  various  temples, 
and  a  few  minor  tablets  in  other  situations  alone  being  sculptured. 
There  are  six,  possibly  more  of  these  tablets  of  large  size,  and  beds 
are  found  for  six  inferior  tablets  which  occupied  the  narrow  faces  of 
the  tablet  chambers  at  the  sides  of  the  doorways.  Two  of  these, 
from  either  the  Temple  of  the  Sun  (Stephens)  or  of  the  Cross 
(Charnay),  have  been  carried  to  Santo  Domingo  where  they  are  set 
in  the  walls  at  the  sides  of  the  church  door.  Illustrations  of 
the  latter  figures  are  given  by  Stephens,*  and  their  place  at  the  sides 
of  the  inner  doorway  is  shown  by  him  in    an  excellent  plate  facing 

♦Incidents  of  Travel,  Vol.  II,  facing  page  353. 


i66  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol,  i. 

page  354.  In  one  of  the  corridors  of  the  Palace  I  found  a  small 
fragment  of  a  thin  slab  that  had  been  sculptured  in  the  usual  style  in 
low  relief  and  painted  a  bright  red.  These  tablets  are  all  in  low 
relief  and  the  tasteful  designs,  including  human  figures,  symbols  and 
glyphs,  are  worked  out  with  a  delicacy  of  relief  and  a  refinement  of 
finish  unsurpassed  in  any  equally  important  work  in  stone  in  this 
country.  They  are  totally  distinct  in  character  from  anything  in 
Yucatan  or  the  Mexican  plateau.  In  some  respects  these  works  do 
not  compare  well  with  Assyrian  and  Eg3'ptian  sculptures  represent- 
ing somewhat  kindred  subjects,  but  they  are  more  elaborate,  exhibit 
equal  facility  and  freedom  in  drawing  and  certainly  embody  a  more 
complex  and  fanciful  system  of  symbolism.  In  style  they  are  more 
Oriental  than  Assyrian  or  Egyptian. 

Aside  from  the  tablets  mentioned  the  most  important  sculptures 
are  found  in  the  two  great  courts  of  the  Palace.  One  group  consists 
of  archaic  looking  figures  of  men  and  women  occupying  the  faces  of 
large  heavy  slabs  of  limestone  set  at  a  steep  angle  against  the  temple 
foundation  at  the  sides  of  the  broad  flights  of  steps  within  the  courts. 
These  seem  of  the  nature  of  portal  guardians  as  do  also  the  sculp- 
tures at  the  heads  of  stairways  and  the  relief  figures  occupying  the 
antae  of  the  inner  sanctuaries  of  the  temples.  Their  function  must 
have  been  distinct  from  that  of  the  tablet  sculptures  and  again  from 
the  stucco  roof-comb  decorations. 

Stucco  Work.  The  builders  of  Palenque,  so  far  as  the  preserved 
monuments  show,  were  the  greatest  stucco  modelers  in  America. 
The  Izamals  did  bold  and  effective  work,  as  did  the  builders  of 
Labna  and  other  places,  but  here  modeling  in  stucco  was  the  chief 
reliance  of  the  builders  an  all  matters  of  finish  and  decoration, 
interior  and  exterior;  pillars,  wall  spaces,  broad  roof  slopes  and 
lofty  roof-combs  were  covered  with  marvelous  figures  rivaling  in 
elaboration  the  composite  sculptures  of  Uxmal  and  Chichen,  and 
exceeding  them  in  freedom  of  treatment  and  refinement  of  style,  the 
seated  figure  in  the  Temple  of  the  Beau  Relief,  if  the  drawing  of 
Waldeck  can  be  relied  upon,  being  one  of  the  greatest  masterpieces 
of  American  plastic  art.  In  the  Palace  and  its  associated  temples 
there  were  something  like  eighty  heavy  exterior  piers,  rectangular  in 
section,  varying  from  3  to  6  or  more  feet  in  width,  from  6  to 
12  feet  in  height  and  from  2  to  5  feet  in  thickness,  separating 
the  entrances  and  supporting  the  entablatures  of  the  facades;  half 
as  many  more  served  the  same  purpose  in  the  various  courts  and 
interior  corridors,  and  a  large  percentage  of  these  were  faced  witj? 
masterl}'    groups     in    stucco    accompanied     by    glyphic    inscriptions 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  167 

executed  in  the  same  style  and  bordered  by  narrow  lines  of  formal 
patterns  similarly  treated.  The  main  roof  spaces  of  the  buildings 
were  all  treated  as  panels  and  filled  with  compositions  in  bold  relief 
and  of  remarkable  freedom  of  drawing.  They  embodied  human 
figures  in  various  attitudes,  great  heads,  grotesque  faces  and  monsters, 
all  strongly  modeled,  tastefully  grouped  and  surrounded  with  flowing 
decorations.  The  roof-combs,  with  which  most  of  the  buildings 
were  supplied,  some  large  and  some  small,  and  erected  apparently 
for  the  express  purpose  of  giving  scope  to  the  genius  of  the  stucco 
worker,  were  even  more  richly  embellished  and  many  remains  of  the 
subjects  still  cling,  after  the  lapse  of  four  centuries,  to  these  lofty 
facades.  Few  efforts  at  exterior  architectural  embellishment  in  any 
land  have  been  more  boldly  conceived.  Imagine  florid  composi- 
tions worked  out  in  strong  relief,  filling  the  roof-combs  of  the 
temples  50  to  100  feet  above  any  possible  point  of  view;  and  beneath 
these  broad  sloping  roof  zones  similarly  treated,  followed  again  by 
rows  of  wide  pier  fronts  faced  with  handsome  figures  surrounded 
by  glyphs;  and  below  this  still,  set  against  the  pyramid  or  border- 
ing the  stairways  other  equall}'  elaborate  works,  the  whole  fin- 
ished in  varied  and  brilliant  color.  Let  those  who  wish  to  secure 
a  more  complete  notion  of  the  character  and  rank  of  this  work 
examine,  in  connection  with  the  foregoing  remarks,  the  examples 
represented  imperfectly  as  to  relief,  freedom  of  drawing,  color 
and  suggestion  of  size,  in  Stephens'  Travels,  Vol.  II,  opposite 
pages  339  and  344,  and  in  Charnay's  Cities  of  the  New  World,  facing 
page  236  and  on  page  457;  the  latter  from  Lorillard  town  suggesting 
more  fully  perhaps  than  any  other  illustration  so  far  given  the  exuber- 
ance of  fancy  characterizing  these  strange  symbol-loving  people.  The 
best  illustrations  to  be  obtained  of  the  meager  remnants  of  these 
stucco  masterpieces  of  the  Palenque  temple  roofs  are  a  set  of  superb 
photographs  made  by  Mr.  Alfred  Maudslay  of  London,  an  example 
of  which  appears  in  PI.  XXI.  It  is  a  source  of  much  regret  that 
all  of  these  works  show  signs  of  rapidly  advancing  decay. 

Color.  Color  was  lavishly  used  by  the  people  of  Palenque  and 
there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  it  was  tastefully  used  in  both 
symbolic  and  purely  aesthetic  applications.  Black,  white,  blue,  two 
reds,  yellow  and  green  are  seen,  the  scale  corresponding  very  closely 
with  that  used  elsewhere  in  Mexico  and  in  Central  America. 

The  plaster  and  stucco  used  were  white,  and  some  walls,  ceilings 
and  other  surfaces  were  allowed  to  stand  in  the  plain  color,  but  as  a 
rule  not  only  the  show  spaces  but  often  obscure  surfaces  were  care- 
fully tinted,  and  the  outside  walls  and  even  the  roofs  and  roof-combs 


i68  Field  Columbian  ^Mlseum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

were  finished  in  color.  As  weathering,  decay  or  use  injured  the  col- 
ored surfaces  other  applications  were  made,  and  it  is  not  uncommon 
to  find  in  broken  edges  six  or  more  successive  coats,  more  or  less 
deeply  buried  by  renewed  applications  of  plaster  or  washes  of  plain 
color.  Color  was  used  also  in  decorating  the  walls  with  various 
designs,  geometric,  graphic  and  glyphic,  and  numerous  traces  are 
still  seen  in  protected  places.  The  most  elaborate  and  showy  work 
was  in  the  painting  of  stucco  reliefs,  including  figures,  groups  of 
figures,  symbols,  etc.,  with  which  many  parts  of  the  buildings  were 
embellished.  The  colors  as  they  stand  to-da}-  are  often  bright  and 
pleasing,  and  it  is  a  most  remarkable  fact  that  on  surfaces  fully 
exposed  to  the  elements  and  to  the  destructive  agencies  of  vegetable 
and  animal  life  for  400  years  or  more,  these  tints  are  still  well  pre- 
served. 

The  employment  of  colors  in  painting  the  relief  groups  was  no 
doubt  highly  conventional,  and  regulated  perhaps  by  symbolic  rather 
than  by  aesthetic  canons  ;  it  is  observed,  however,  that,  as  a  rule,  the 
flesh  tones  are  red  or  reddish,  a  rather  pale  tint  prevailing,  while  cos- 
tumes, symbolic  devices  and  ornaments  employed  the  whole  native 
palette.  Of  the  nature  and  composition  of  the  colors  little  can  be 
made  out  with  certaint}',  though  most  of  them  are  no  doubt  of  min- 
eral origin.  The  sienna  red  used  so  generally  in  all  Maya  and  Nahuatl 
countries  is  said  to  be  of  vegetable  origin,  being  obtained  b}'  steeping 
a  red  wood  which  is  found  throughout  the  Mexican  and  Central  Amer- 
ican States. 

Implements.  As  to  the  implements  and  devices  employed  in 
these  embellishing  arts  little  has  been  learned.  Stone  tools  were  no 
doubt  used  by  the  sculptor,  simple  modeling  tools  of  wood  or  bone 
by  the  stucco  worker,  and  brushes  of  hair  or  vegetable  fiber  by  the 
painter.  The  only  implement  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  secure  was 
an  agate  blade — a  knife  or  a  lance  head — three  inches  long  and  one 
and  a  half  wide.  It  was  found  in  the  Temple  of  the  Sun,  and  was  so 
coated  with  calcareous  deposit  as  to  seem  merely  an  oblong,  flattish 
pebble. 

Stairways.  As  stair  builders  the  Palenquans  were  probably  supe- 
rior in  some  respects  to  the  Yucatecs:  they  were  familiar  with  effective 
methods  of  introducing  stairs  into  interior  construction,  there  being 
half  a  dozen  examples  of  such  flights.  The  Tower  has  two  flights,  and 
the  stairways  leading  from  the  upper-level  buildings  of  the  Palace  to 
the  southern  lower-level  vaults  have  landings  and  make  various  turns 
within  the  masonry  body.  Some  of  the  short  flights  that  lead  from 
the  courts  to  the  adjoining  galleries  are  of  special  interest.      They 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  i6g 

are  formed  of  large  stones,  on  which  are  sculptured  glyphic  inscrip- 
tions, and  at  the  sides  are  unique  sculptures  in  bas-relief.  Stephens 
and  Charnay  have  given  satisfactory  illustrations  of  these  features. 
So  far  as  I  could  observe  there  are  no  traces  of  the  remarkable  ser- 
pent balustrades  so  common  in  Yucatan,  their  place  being  taken  by 
human  figures  in  relief  placed  in  slanting  positions. 

THE  PALACE  GROUP.  The  "Palace,"  as  it  is  usually  called,  is  a 
composite  structure — a  great  group  of  closel}^  associated  structures — 
not  surpassed  in  interest  and  importance  by  any  other  group  of  Maya 
remains  north  of  Guatemala.  It  is  so  complex  and  extensive  and  withal 
in  parts  in  such  an  advanced  stage  of  demolition  that  the  time  at  my 
disposal  did  not  permit  of  a  satisfactory  exploration.  The  group 
undoubtedly  represents  a  long  period  of  growth,  the  people  probably 
passing  meantime  through  many  minor  mutations  of  fortune  and  art. 
There  appear  to  be  ten  or  more  somewhat  independent  units  of  con- 
struction (Fig.  49),  but  the  order  of  their  development  cannot  be 
made  out  save  in  a  tentative  way.  The  general  consistency  of  style 
charaterizing  the  great  exterior  ranges  of  buildings  toward  the  north, 
taken  together  with  their  superior  state  of  preservation,  would  seem 
to  indicate  a  later  date  for  them  than  for  the  southern  members  of  the 
group.  The  addition  of  these  superior  buildings  and  the  unifying  of 
the  whole  group  by  carrying  the  galleries  and  terraces  somewhat  uni- 
formly along  the  four  sides,  appear  to  indicate  also  that  the  greater 
period  of  power  and  culture  was  toward  the  close,  a  period  probably 
ante-dating  the  conquest  by  decades  rather  than  by  centuries. 

This  group  of  remains,  as  it  stands  to-day,  if  denuded  in  the 
main  of  its  enveloping  foliage,  is  correctly  indicated  in  the  panorama, 
although  I  have  ventured  to  bring  out  certain  forms  more  distinctly 
than  they  would  appear  in  a  photograph.  This  is  done  in  cases  only 
where  the  forms  concerned  are  known.  There  is  no  attempt  at  restora- 
tion. The  original  appearance  of  the  group  must  have  been  striking 
and  impressive,  and  the  restoration  (after  Armin),  published  by  Ban- 
croft* in  a  small  wood  cut,  though  manifestly  wrong  in  numerous  de- 
tails, is  still  capable  of  conveying  a  fairly  correct  impression  to 
those  who  keep  in  mind  the  general  crudeness  of  Maya  work  as  con- 
trasted with  the  mature  construction  and  finish  characterizing  the 
early  temple  architecture  of  Southern  Europe,  Egypt  and  the  Far 
East. 

The  Pyram!D.  The  substructure  of  this  group  consists  of  the 
great  platform  at  the  north  supporting  the  principal  buildings — in 
the  foreground  of  the  panorama — and  a  lower  terrace  at  the  south, 

*  Vol.  IV.  p.  323.  ' 


lyo         Field  Columbian   Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

supporting  an  annexed  subordinate  structure  not  seen  in  the  pano- 
rama. The  main  mass  varies  from  20  to  30  feet  in  height  and  meas- 
ures at  the  top  some  200  feet  from  east  to  west,  and  225  from  north 
to  south.  The  former  measurement  is  that  of  the  north  margin  :  the 
south  end  probably  falls  15  or  20  feet  short  of  this.  The  lower  ter- 
race, occupied  by  the  south  end  building,  though  poorly  defined,  is 
about  40  feet  wide  and  180  feet  long.  The  original  slope  of  the  sides 
closely  approximated  45  degrees. 

The  site  occupied,  is  a  somewhat  level  space,  extending  back 
from  the  west  bank  of  the  Otolum.  The  stream  washes  (at  least  at 
seasons  of  high  water)  the  southeast  corner  of  the  pyramid,  but 
opposite  the  northeast  corner  is  nearly  a  hundred  feet  away,  and  the 
channel  is  depressed  to  a  depth  of  twenty  feet  or  more.  The  north 
and  west  sides  retain  their  original  contour  prett}'  closely,  but  the 
east  side  is  broken  down  and  irregular.  Here  the  main  slope  has 
been  undermined  by  the  powerful  torrents  of  the  wet  season,  and 
near  the  middle  the  abutting  masonry  has  been  broken  down,  expos- 
ing what  appears  to  be  the  vertical  wall  of  the  original  facing.  At 
the  south  end  also  a  considerable  portion  of  the  nearly  vertical  fac- 
ing is  exposed,  and  at  the  corner  the  wall  rises  some  twelve  feet  in 
two  steps,  with  a  sloping  rise  above  to  the  corner  of  the  main  corri- 
dor. It  is  seen  here  also  that  the  subordinate  terrace  at  the  south, 
some  30  feet  long  on  this  side,  is  set  back  several  feet  and  faced 
with  a  nearly  vertical  retaining  wall.  These  features  are  but  slightly 
indicated  in  the  panorama  and  are  barely  suggested  on  the  map. 

I  am  able  to  add  little  to  existing  knowledge  of  the  terrace  fac- 
ings and  stairways,  as  nearly  everything  on  the  slopes  is  covered  with 
debris.  A  principal  stairway  was  probably  located  on  the  north,  but 
there  were  certainly  flights  on  the  east  and  west  as  well  as  on  the 
south.  It  is  clear  that  the  north  face,  to  the  right  and  left  of  the 
stairway,  was  terraced,  as  indicated  by  Dupaix,  and  faced  in  part  at 
least  with  large,  accurately  hewn  stones,  as  shown  by  Charnay.  Pos- 
sibly Maudslay  or  others  have  secured  additional  details  of  conforma- 
tion and  finish,  but  such  have  not  come  to  my  notice.  It  is  probable 
that,  as  in  many  cases  in  Yucatan,  the  terrace  mass  is  composed  largely 
of  earth  and  stones,  and  was  faced  with  strong  vertical  or  nearly  ver- 
tical retaining  walls,  afterwards  covered  in  by  stairways,  sloping  but- 
tresses and  facing.  Portions  of  such  a  wall  are  seen  on  the  east 
front,  as  already  stilted;  they  were  exposed  by  the  ravages  of  torrents, 
by  which  agency  the  stairways  and  abutting  masonry  may  have  been 
carried  away.  An  examination  of  the  interior  of  the  pyramid  would 
probably  bring  to  light  many  interesting  features  in  the  way  of  incor- 


Feb.  1897.  Anxient  Ciiies  of  Mexiccj  —  Hol.mes.  171 

porated  walls,  passageways,  etc.,  and  show  separate  stages  of  growth; 
the  latter  are  probably  in  a  measure  represented  by  the  successive 
levels  of  building  observed  at  the  south  end  and  in  the  several  courts, 
and  by  differences  in  the  style  of  the  buildings. 

The  ground  plan  of  the  group  of  superstructures — indicated  oa 
the  map,  PI.  XXIV,  and  iu  Fig.  49 — is  exceedingly  interesting,  and 
in  a  general  way  is  well  given  by  Waldeck,  Stephens,  Dupaix,  and  in 
part  by  Charnay.  There  is  much  difference  in  details,  but  owing  to 
the  advanced  state  of  ruin  the  differences  cannot  be  settled  without 
extensive  excavation.  Charnay  made  important  observations  as  to 
the  pronounced  assymmetry  of  the  plan  at  the  north  end.  The 
position  and  plan  of  the  southern  subordinate  building  is  indicated  by 
Waldeck  only.*  An  analysis  of  the  plan  indicates  the  existence  of  a 
number  of  more  or  less  independent  structures,  but  I  am  not  able  to 
speak  with  certainty  of  more  than  a  dozen  of  these.  They  are  desig- 
nated by  letters  in  the  accompanying  skeleton  plan,  Fig.  49.  First  we 
have  the  north  exterior  range,  A,  connected  with  the  east  and  west 
wings  Band  C.  Second,  the  north  interior  building,  D.  Third,  the 
south  end  exterior  buildings,  E,  F,  G,  H.  Fourth,  the  House  of  the 
Mural  Tablet,  i.  Fifth,  the  House  of  the  Decorated  Tau,  J.  Sixth, 
the  Sanctuary  Building,  K.  Seventh,  the  Tower.  L.  Eighth,  the 
imperfectly  made  out  structure,  M;  and  ninth,  the  subjacent  building, 
N.  In  addition  there  are  numerous  remnants  of  walls  within  the  courts, 
notably  those  connected  with  the  Tower  and  with  the  structures  at 
the  south  end  of  the  southwest  court.  The  four  principal  courts  are. 
indicated  by  the  letters,  O,  P,  Q,  R.  The  opening  of  the  waterway 
is  at  S,  the  washout  exposing  the  tunnel  is  at  T,  and  the  upper  end 
where  the  water  sinks  is  beyond  U. 

The  Buildings,  A  to  M.  It  is  not  my  intention  to  tr}^  to  describe 
all  the  buildings  with  any  degree  of  minuteness,  though  my  notes  are 
voluminous,  but  I  shall  sketch  them  briefl}^  keeping  the  panorama 
always  in  view. 

These  buildings,  largely  separate  in  construction  and  varying 
considerably  in  height  and  profile,  were  in  many  cases  knitted  together 
by  connecting  structures  or  masonry  (omitted  from  the  plan  for  the 
sake  of  clearness)  making  the  group,  in  a  large  sense,  a  unit.  The 
exterior  ranges  were,  in  this  way,  rendered  practically  continuous,  and 
perhaps  entirely  so  so  far  as  the  exterior  lines  of  pillars  are  concerned.. 

As  seen  to-day  this  wonderful  pile  of  structures  presents  a  most 
dilapidated  and  pitifulappearance.      Five  or  six  buildings  only  have 

*The  recent  surveys  of  Maudslay  are  far  more  complete  than  any  that  have  gone  before. 
I  have  utilized  his  work  to  a  slight  extent  in  the  preparation  of  Fig.  49. 


172         FiKLij  Coi.u.Mi;iAN   MrsKLM — Anthropology,  \'oi..    i. 


^™'?"iiiiiiiiii 

[!."»' 


a»  >  N 


Fig.  49.     Skeleton  Ground-Plan  of  the  Palace,  Showing  Separate  Buildings  and 

Courts. 

Minor  connecting  walls  and  additions  are  omitted  for  the  sake  of  clearness. 
A.     North  range;  in  an  advanced  state  of  ruin  and  apparently  connecting  fully  with  B  and  C — 

well  preserved  sections  of  the  east  and  west  ranges. 
O.    North  interior  building;  well  preserved. 

E.  Southern  half  of  east  range  ;  in  advanced  state  of  ruin. 

F.  Eastern  half  of  south  range  ;  well  preserved. 

G.  Western  half  of  south  range  ;  well  preserved. 

H.  Southern  half  of  west  range  ;  advanced  state  of  ruin. 

I.  Building  of  the  Mural  Tablet ;  well  preserved. 

J.  Building  of  the  Decorated  Tau  ;  well  preserved. 

K  Building  of  the  Sanctuary  ;  moderate  state  of  preservation. 

L.  The  Tower  ;  well  preserved. 

M.  Small  building  in  southwest  court. 

N.  Subjacent  structure  with  triple  vault. 

O.  Great  court  (northeast) . 

P.  Northwest  court. 

Q.  Southwest  court. 

R.  Southeast  court. 

S.  Opening  at  lower  end  of  waterway. 

T.  Washed  opening  into  waterway. 

U.  Point  near  which  water  sinks  into  obstructed  entrance  to  waterway. 

Heavy  dotted  lines  indicate  obscured  walls. 

Light  dotted  lines  indicate  flood  channels. 

their  roofs  largely  intact,  and  these,  together  with  portions  of  the  north 
ranges  and  the  Tower,  are  all  that  do  not  present  the  appearance  of 
mere  heaps  of  debris.  Of  the  original  exterior  range  of  pillars, 
upwards  of  forty  in  number,  none  are  visible  on  the  north  side:  five 
stand  on  the  east  front  to  their  full  height;  seven  or  eight  are  partially 


Feb.  1897.  An'CIent  Citiks  of  Mexico — Holmes.  173 

preserved  on  the  south  side,  and  six  are  complete  on  the  west  side. 
A  few  have  but  recently  tumbled  down  the  slopes,  and  the  stumps  of 
many  more  are  hidden  by  heaps  of  debris. 

As  seen  in  the  panorama,  the  north  range,  A,  has  lost  its  entire 
facade,  and  the  roof  also  is  gone,  save  narrow  parts  along  the 
medial  wall  which  itself  is  much  broken  down.  The  back  wall  of  the 
outer  corridor  (the  medial  wall  of  the  building)  and  the  line  of  debris 
that  marks  the  many  pillared  front  are  the  principal  features  remain- 
ing to  be  represented.  The  profile  at  the  right  shows  the  overhanging 
inner  wall  of  the  exterior  vault. 

Connecting  with  this  range,  at  the  ends,  are  the  north  and  south 
ranges,  B  and  C,  and  practically  connecting  near  the  middle  is  the 
well  preserved  building,  D,  separating  the  two  northern  courts. 
Facing  these  courts  on  the  south  side  are  other  members  of  the  group, 
I,  J,  L,  well  shown  in  the  view.  Beyond  are  glimpses  of  the  southern 
courts,  and  the  debris-hidden  ruins  of  that  side. 

The  northern  buildings.  A,  B,  C,  D,  present  nearly  identical 
conformation  and  construction,  and  may  be  in  a  measure  described  in 
common.  The  southern  exterior  ranges  were  probably  very  similar 
in  their  principal  features  and  no  attempt  to  analyze  them  will  be 
necessary.  All  consist  of  twin  vaults  of  usual  construction,  as  shown 
in  the  sections.  Figs.  45  and  50.      The  width  of  the  vault  is  from  7  to  8 

feet    and  the    height  from   15  to  20  feet.      The  exterior  vault seen 

in  part  in  the  panorama  near  the  northeast  corner  of  the  build- 
ing—  appears  to  have  been  almost  continuous  all  the  way  around 
and  was  entered  by  upwards  of  forty  wide  doorways  separated  by 
pillars  somewhat  narrower  than  the  openings,  save  at  the  corners  and 
perhaps  in  one  or  two  other  exceptional  cases.  The  medial  wall 
separating  the  vaults  had  but  few  openings,  two  of  which  are  perfectly 
preserved,  one  in  the  east  building  and  one  in  the  west,  as  shown  on 
the  plan.  A  similar  doorway  opens  through  the  medial  wall  of  the  north 
interior  building.  I  could  detect  no  trace  of  a  passage  through 
the  much  ruined  northern  medial  wall,  and  none  of  the  plans  published 
indicate  such  a  feature,  but  the  advanced  state  of  ruin  prevents 
satisfactory  examination.  The  earlier  published  plans  show  several 
openings,  of  varied  position  and  character,  on  the  south  side.  In 
the  northern  ranges  the  inner  walls  facing  the  courts  are  perforated 
by  doorways,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  outer  walls,  and  both  exterior 
walls  of  the  interior  building,  D,  are  likewise  pierced,  so  that 
there  are  no  chambers  or  closed  spaces,  though  at  some  period  of  the 
occupation  thin  partitions  have  been  built  at  various  points  con- 
necting   the  pillars    with   the     medial    wall  ;    these    are    now    mostly 


174         FiK.i.D  CoiA^MBiAN  Ml'seum — Anthroi'olocy,  Vol.    i. 

demolished.  The  vaults  thus  take  the  character  of  corridors,  open 
everywhere  to  the  sun  and  air.  and  are  separated  by  the  almost  con- 
tinuous medial  wall. 


Fig.  50.     Section  and  Perspective  of  the  Eastern  Range  (B)  of  the  Palace, 

Showing  Construction  and  Continuing  Perspective  of 

Outer  Corridor. 

a.  Eastern  front;  stairway  restored. 

b.  Outer  corridor;  lintels  restored. 
(".    Inner  corridor;  lintels  restored. 

(/.    Doorway  with  trefoil  arch  through  medial  wall. 
e.    Stairs,  descending  to  court. 
/".-/.    Sections  of  lintels  (restored)  and  eaves. 

The  roof-comb  is  too  much  broken  down  to  be  analyzed. 

The  accompanying  sketch,  Fig.  50,  gives  a  sectional  view  of  the 
two  corridors  looking  south  from  a  point  near  the  north  end  of  build- 
ing B.  It  shows  the  eastern  or  outer  corridor  on  the  left — the  perspec- 
tive being  prolonged  to  suggest  something  of  the  original  effect;  and 
the  inner  corridor  on  the  right,  seen  at  such  an  angle  as  to  give  a  good 
idea  of  the  piers  and  doorvv^ays  and  the  manner  of  inserting  the 
lintel  beams.  A  brief  description  in  connection  with  this  illustration 
will    convey   a   sufficiently    full    and    definite    notion    of    the    appear- 


Feb.  1897.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  175 

ance  and  character  of  the  vaulted  galleries  of  Palenque.  The 
floor  IS  level  and  well  cemented  and  is  27  or  28  feet  in  width.  The 
space  outside  the  walls — the  esplanade — is  very  narrow,  and  at  the 
left,  overlooking  the  stream  bed  (bridged),  it  is  only  26  inches 
wide.  It  is  probable  that  the  stairway  and. abutting  masonry,  (now 
removed  leaving  the  original  vertical  wall  face  exposed),  added 
somewhat  to  the  width.  The  steps  at  the  right,  descending  into  the 
court,  are  six  in  number  and  are  built  of  well  cut  blocks  of  limestone. 
The  upper  step,  or  esplanade,  is  26  inches  wide  and  12  inches 
high.  The  remaining  steps  average  about  18  inches  in  width  of 
tread  and  rise.  The  walls  are  about  3  feet  thick  and  rise  verti- 
cally nearly  10  feet.  The  soffit  slopes  of  the  vault  ascend 
from  the  narrow  offset  at  a  high  angle  (some  70  degrees)  to  the 
ceiling  stones.  The  vault  is  between  ig  and  20  feet  high.  The 
width  of  the  outer  vault  is  7  feet  3  inches,  and  of  the  inner  7  feet 
6  inches  at  the  points  measured.  The  strongly  marked  eaves — 
the  "medial  molding,"  as  the  corresponding  feature  of  the 
Yucatec  buildings  was  called — project  24  inches,  and  on  the  outer 
surface  slope  back  at  a  sharp  angle  to  connect  with  the  lower 
roof  slope,  which  is  some  6  feet  wide  and  rises  at  an  angle  of  about 
70  degrees.  The  roof  slopes  were  usually  filled  with  elaborate  designs 
in  stucco,  of  which  only  traces  remain.  A  glance  at  the  sloping  roof 
space  of  the  inner  building,  as  given  by  Charnay,*.  will  make 
clear  the  manner  of  applying  these  ornaments.  This  space  is  bordered 
above  by  a  second  angular  molding,  less  pronounced  than  that  below, 
and  from  this  the  narrow  roof-space  proper  extends  at  a  low  angle  to 
the  base  of  the  roof-comb.  This  latter  feature  is  in  an  advanced  state 
of  ruin,  but  enough  remains  to  show  that  it  probably  consisted  of  a 
balustrade-like  line  of  stone  work,  as  indicated  by  dotted  lines  in  the 
section.  The  masonry  consists  in  the  main  of  rather  small  stones  of 
irregular  shape,  embedded  in  excellent  mortar.  Large  slabs  are  used 
in  the  construction  of  wall  openings  and  projecting  features  of  the 
roof.  Surfaces  not  occupied  by  decorations  in  relief,  are  neatly,  though 
not  very  evenly  plastered,  and  have  been  colored  in  white  and 
possibly  in  other  hues.  The  perspective,  rather  imperfectly  developed, 
extends  the  view  a  considerable  distance  to  suggest  the  effect  when 
the  whole  length  was  standing.  At  present  there  are  but  five  piers 
remaining  at  the  left,  while  the  four  at  the  right,  facing  the  northeast 
court,  are  all  in  place.  These  piers — mere  sections  of  the  walls — are 
3  feet  thick,  about  6  feet  wide  and  10  feet  in  height.  The  door- 
ways are  about  g  feet  wide  and  nearly  g  feet  in  height  to  the 
lintel  sockets  which  are  now  ragged  holes  in  the  tops  of  the  piers.      I 

*.\ncipnt  cities  of  the  New  World,  p.  236. 


176         FiEM)   Columbian   Misklm — Ax  1  hroi'ologv,  Vol.    2. 

have  restored  the  lintels  to  indicate  their  placement  more  clearly. 
All  have  disappeared,  but  the  shape  of  the  beam  is  in  several  cases 
clearly  impressed  upon  the  plaster  bedding.  The  over-door  masonry 
is  more  or  less  broken  out  in  nearly  all  cases.  The  exterior  surfaces 
of  the  outer  piers  were  occupied  by  stucco  groups  in  relief,  and 
portions  still  remain,  (see  PI.  XIX).  The  end  pillar  at  the  south 
and  probably  the  corner  pillar  at  the  north  (now  missing)  had 
glyphs  instead  of  figures;  and  roundish  glyphs  occur  at  the  top 
between  the  lintel  ends.  This  latter  statement  is  true  of  most  of 
the  piers  in  the  group.  The  inner  piers,  facing  the  court,  seem  to 
have  been  plain. 

The  medial  wall  is  of  special  interest  on  account  of  its  four  or 
five  unique  or  novel  features.  First  of  these  is  the  great  doorway 
which  pierces  the  wall,  connecting  the  exterior  with  the  inner  gallery 
and  thence  giving  entrance  to  the  court.  It  is  8  feet  10  inches  wide 
and  18  feet  high.  The  arch  penetrates  the  thick  masonry  of  the 
wall  above,  and  the  soffit  surfaces  are  curved  in  a  peculiar  man- 
ner, giving  a  somewhat  trefoil  outline.  The  construction  of  this 
arch  is  illustrated  in  Fig.  11  of  the  introduction,  Part  I.  The 
ceiling  stones  are  as  usual,  and  the  length  of  the  arch  ceiling  (the 
thickness  of  the  wall  at  that  level)  is  7  or  8  feet.  A  second 
and  very  novel  feature  appears  in  the  window-like  openings  pene- 
trating the  upper  wall  at  the  right  and  left  of  the  doorway.  They  are 
also  sub-trefoil  in  shape,  are  ceiled  above  with  the  usual  slabs,  are 
about  4I/4  feet  wide  and  5  feet  high,  and  at  the  top  about  6  feet 
long  from  face  to  face  of  the  connected  vaults.  A  third  feature  is  a 
series  of  tau-shaped  and  squarish  openings  in  the  lower  wall.  A 
fourth  feature  is  the  large  dumb-sheave  cord  holders  at  the  sides  of 
the  door;  and  a  fifth  is  the  line  of  wall  decorations  alternating  with 
the  tau  openings  though  somewhat  higher  up  on  the  vertical  wall 
space.  These  decorations  seem  to  have  consisted  of  medallion-like 
heads,  possibly  portraits,  neatly  worked  out  in  relief,  and  surrounded 
by  roundish,  relieved  framework,  embellished  on  the  outer  margin 
with  ornate,  rococo-like  appendages;  these  are  best  given  by  Charnay, 
although  something  has  to  be  allowed  in  this  case,  perhaps,  for  the 
personal  equation  of  the  artist  who  drew  the  illustrations  on  wood. 
Besides  these  features  there  are  a  few  pole  sockets  here  and  there  in 
the  soffit  slopes.  While  some  of  these  features  are  peculiar  to  this 
particular  building,  the  descriptions  cover  about  all  that  is  worth 
mentioning  in  the  walls  of  the  other  members  of  the  north  end  of 
the  group.  The  arches  vary  somewhat  in  height  and  width.  The 
other   medial-wall   doorways  have  the  plain  arch,  and  the  window- 


Pl.  XIX.     View  in  Northwest  Court   of  Palace  Showing  Decorated   Piers 

AND  Tower. 


Looking  to  the  southeast  from  the  court  we  have  the  middle  building  at  the 
left  and  the  Tower  beyond.  Maudslay's  men  are  seen  at  work  uncovering  the 
narrow  stairway  that  ascends  from  the  court  to  the  middle  building.  Three  of 
the  piers  are  seen,  bearing  on  their  faces  remnants  of  the  stucco  relief  groups. 
Against  the  base  of  the  Tower  are  remnants  of  an  arch-pierced  wall  representing 
some  structure  not  yet  fully  made  out.     Photograph  by  A,  P.  Maudslay. 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,  PL.  XiX. 


View  in   Northwest  Court  of  Palace  Showing  Decorated  Piers  and  Tower. 


Fkh.  1897.  Ancienj-  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  177 

like  openings  do  not  penetrate  the  wall  but  are  closed  with  masonry, 
leaving  shallow  recesses  only.  The  cord  holders  also  vary  somewhat, 
and  the  tau  openings  appear  in  cases  as  mere  recesses  in  the  walls. 
In  one  case,  in  the  western  building,  near  the  north  end,  a  window- 
like opening  with  angular,  arched  top  penetrates  the  lower  zone  of 
the  medial  wall.  It  is  2  feet  6  inches  from  the  floor  and  2  feet  7 
inches  wide  by  5  feet  in  height. 

The  northeast  court  measures  80  feet  on  the  north,  72  Y-z  feet  on  the 
south,  75  feet  on  the  east  and  80  feet  on  the  west,  the  datum  points 
used,  however,  being  somewhat  indefinite  and  unsatisfactory.  Its 
depth  below  the  floor  level  of  the  building  is  6  feet.  From  this  court 
five  buildings  are  in  view;  on  the  north  we  observe  the  range  A, 
much  broken  down,  forming  a  mere  ridge  of  debris;  on  the  east  the 
building  B  presents  a  facade  entire  save  for  breaches  over  the  door- 
ways; on  the  south  the  principal  building,  J,  is  much  dilapidated, 
while  the  building  I,  presenting  its  north  end,  is  well  preserved, 
(see  panorama).  The  facade  of  D,  on  the  west  side  of  the  court  is  one 
of  the  best  preserved  in  Palenque.  There  are  stairways  ascending  to 
each  of  the  buildings,  five  in  all.  These  stairways  do  not  extend  the 
full  length  of  the  sides.  Those  on  the  east  and  west,  and  that  entering 
the  Mural  Tablet  Building,  at  the  southwest,  are  constructed  of  hewn 
stone,  while  those  on  the  north  and  south  sides  are  of  loosely  laid 
masonry  that  must  have  been  veneered  with  stone  or  finished  in 
stucco.  The  walls  at  the  sides  of  the  stairways  on  the  east  and  west 
are  finished  with  panelings  of  hewn  stone,  on  which  are  sculptured 
figures  or  glyphs.  The  large  inclined  stones  flanking  these  stairwa)'s 
are  covered  with  colossal  and  unique  human  figures  in  relief  consti- 
tuting one  of  the  most  interesting  and  novel  features  of  Palenque. 
The  steps  on  the  west  side  have  glyphic  inscriptions  on  the  faces. 

The  northwest  court  measures  30  feet  on  the  north,  37  feet  on  the 
south  and  74^  feet  from  north  to  south.  The  datum  points  for  these 
measurements,  selected  in  haste,  may  differ  from  those  selected  by 
others.  Its  features  and  finish  are  much  the  same  as  those  of  the 
adjoining  court,  though  some  novel  features  appear  at  the  south  end. 
Several  apartments,  apparently  of  small  size,  seem  to  have  existed 
in  connection  with  the  Tower,  and  a  stair  leads  down  beneath  the 
north  interior  building,  or  between  it  and  the  Tower.  It  is  possible 
that  Mr.  Maudslay,  who  must  have  carried  on  the  extensive  excava- 
tions observable  in  this  court,  has  determined  the  nature  and  extent 
of   the  stairway  and  its  connections. 

The  transverse  section  of  the  group,  given  in  Fig.  51,  bisects  the 
terrace  mass  and  shows  the  relation  of  the  courts  and  buildings.  The 
position  of  the  sub-waterway  is  also  shown. 


178         FiEi.n  Coi.r.MiuAN  Mlsf.i  \i — Anthropology,  Vol.    i, 


Fig.  51.     Transverse  Section  of  Northern  End  of    Palace  Group  Showing  Build- 
ings AND  Courts. 

it.  Eastern  range. 

/>.  Interior  range. 

■c.  W  estern  range. 

//.  Great  court  (northeast!. 

e.  Northwest  court. 

/.  Waterway. 

The  dilapidated  building  (J  on  the  map),  separating  the  northeast 
court  from  the  southeast  space,  extends  from  east  to  west  and 
is  about  42  feet  long  and  23  feet  wide.  It  differs  from  the  north- 
ern buildings  in  having  its  two  vaulted  galleries  separated  into 
chambers  bv  heavy  partition  walls:  three  of  these  chambers  are  entered 
from  the  north  and  two  from  the  south  as  shown  in  the  plan.  The 
middle  room,  entered  from  the  north,  occupies  the  full  width  of 
the  building,  the  medial  wall  being  penetrated  by  a  wide,  high  archway, 
making  the  two  sections  coalescent.  There  are  tau  openings  between 
adjoining  rooms,  and  also  one  in  the  south  end  of  the  middle  room. 
The  southern  rooms  preserve  traces  of  elaborate  relief  ornamentation, 
the  principal  remnant  being  a  liorid  rococo-like  design  surrounding 
one  of  the  tau  openings.  The  ornament  is  richly  colored,  and  is  well 
illustrated  by  Charnay.  In  masonry,  profile  and  finish  this  building 
is  much  like  the  others.  The  floor  is  apparently  a  few  inches  lower 
than  the  floors  of  its  northern  neighbors.  The  decay  of  the  wood 
lintels  has  led  to  much  breaking  down  over  the  doorways  and  the 
front  half  of  the  roof  of  the  northwest  chamber  is  gone.  It  is  my 
impression  that  the  narrow  space  between  this  building  and  the 
eastern  range  has  been  walled  up  and  roofed  over,  though  I  made 
no  very  definite  observations. 

The  building  just  described  is  joined  on  the  west  by  another 
structure  of  exceptional  interest  (T).  Part  of  its  northern  end  is  seen 
in  the  panorama.  It  extends  from  north  to  south,  the  north  end  con- 
necting partially  with  the  south  end  of  the  northern  interior  building. 
It  could  with  propriety  be  called  the  southern  interior  building,  but 
I  prefer  the  title  Mural  Tablet  Building  on  account  of  the  handsome 
bas-relief  imbedded  in  the  wall  of  its  west  gallery.  Its  length  is  some 
75  feet  and  its  width  22  feet.      The  vaults  are  constructed  as  usual  but 


Feb.   1897.  Ancirni'  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


179 


are  not  so  high  as  in  the  buildings  already  described.  The  most 
unique  feature  of  the  building  is  its  profile,  Fig.  52.  The  upper  zone 
of  the  wall  is  approximately  vertical  and  the  roof  is  nearly  flat  and 
without  a  crest.  The  section  is,  therefore,  closely  allied  with  the 
Yucatec  section,  and  as  this  building  is  lower  and  more  archaic  look- 
ing than  other  equally  well  preserved  structures,  it  is  suggested  that  it 
may  be  the  original  type,  from  which  the  sloping  roof  form  is  a  dif- 
ferentiation. 


Fig.  52.     Transverse  Section  of  the  Mural  Tablet  Building. 

The  upper  wall  zone  is  nearly  vertical,  thus  suggesting  the  Yucatec  profile 

a,  a.     Doorways  with  wooden  lintels  restored. 

b,  b.    Steep  upper  wall-zone. 

The  roofless  buildings  of  the  southern  courts  call  for  but  little 
attention.  In  the  southeast  court  are  the  remains  of  a  building, 
K  on  the  map,  that  may  be  called  the  House  of  the  Sanctuary;  and 
another,  M,  of  imperfectly  defined  character  and  extent,  occupies  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  farther  court,  Q,  behind  the  Tower  in  the 
panorama. 

I  found  the  Tower  to  be  a  structure  of  unusual  interest — largely 
because  it  is  in  many  ways  unique.  It  has  been  described  in  some 
detail  by  a  number  of  authors,  and  some  have  ventured  to  illustrate 
its  construction,  but  as  these  attempts  at  analysis  seem  unsatisfac- 
tory, I  studied  the  structure  with  exceptional  care  and  shall  go  over 
the  ground  as  thoroughly  as  possible.  It  is  a  square  building  of  four 
stories,  three  principal  and  one  inferior,  and  has  a  stairway  extend- 
ing upward  through  the  center  of  the  four  floors.  It  is  seen  in  the 
panorama  rising  behind  the  northern  interior  building,  and  its  height 
— suggestive  of  the  feudal  citadel — lends  an  air  of  the  picturesque 
to  the  otherwise  squatty  and  monotonous  pile  of  ruins.      It   is  in   an 


l8o  FlEMl    CoMMIUAN     MlSKlM — Am  HROHOI.OGY,    VoL.     I. 

advanced  state  of  ruin.  The  upper  story  is  half  gone;  the  doorways 
(more  correctly  windows)  are  broken  out  above,  and  the  masonry  has 
been  denuded  of  the  coatings  of  plaster  and  color  that  once  made  it 
an  attractive  feature  of  the  group.  It  was  probably  an  observatory, 
the  upper  windows  and  roof  commanding  a  view  of  all  the  surround- 
ing buildings.  The  construction  is  such  as  to  strongly  suggest  this 
use.  The  stairwaj^  and  windows  are  manifestly  the  main  features. 
The  inclosed  spaces  or  galleries  are  only  of  sufficient  width  to  serve 
as  passageways  from  window  to  window  and  from  stair  to  stair,  the 
only  exception  being  some  small,  dark  chambers  in  the  blind,  second 
story.  To  be  sure  it  may  have  been  used  for  defense,  and  some 
ceremonial  function  ma}'  have  been  subserved,  but  the  chief  purpose 
was  certainl}'  that  of  an  outlook. 

It  was  much  obscured  b}-  vegetation  until  cleared  off  by  explor- 
ers, and  full-grown  trees  still  cling  to  its  crags.  The  network  of  roots 
and  vines  with  which  it  is  held  together  bears  evidence  of  the  mighty 
vigor  of  the  tropical  forest. 

This  tower  strikes  me  as  belonging  to  the  earlier  stages  of  the 
growth  of  the  Palace.  Its  foundation  is  as  low  or  lower  than  the  level 
of  the  courts,  and  it  is  enclosed  on  two  sides  b\'  what  appear  to  be 
later  structures,  built  like  honey  cells  against  its  sides. 

The  exterior  is  best  described  in  connection  with  my  drawing. 
Fig.  53,  taken  from  the  northeast — nearly  the  direction  from  which 
the  top  is  viewed  in  the  panorama.  I  have  omitted  the  attached  struc- 
tures, which  obscure  the  base  on  the  north  and  west,  and  present  the 
walls  in  their  original  simplicity.  A  photographic  view  from  the 
northwest  is  given  in  PL'  XIX.  which  shows  full}-  the  character  of 
the  masonry,  the  windows  and  the  inclosing  remains,  as  well  as  the 
relation  of  the  structure  to  the  north  interior  building,  at  the  south  end 
of  which    it  stands. 

Rising  from  the  body  of  the  terrace  we  have  the  base  of  solid 
masonry,  about  23  feet  from  east  to  west,  and  25  feet  from  north  to 
south,  and  perhaps  10  feet  in  height.  The  corners  are  enforced  by 
slight  masonry  projections,  and  a  wide,  strong  cornice  incloses  the 
top.  Above  this  rise  the  other  zones  of  the  structure,  each  limited 
above  by  a  narrow,  square  cornice  and  each  in  turn  reduced  a  few  inches 
in  horizontal  extent.  There  are  thus  six  offsets,  and  these,  with  a 
very  slight  inward  slope  of  the  walls,  narrow  the  top  to  about  16  by 
18  feet. 

Above  the  foundation  space  there  are  three  narrow  zones,  entirely 
blank,  and  three  wider  zones  containing  the  openings  or  windows. 
These  wider  zones   mark   the   three  principal   stories  of    the   build- 


Feb.  1897.  Ancient  Ciiies  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


181 


Fig.  53.    Sketch  of  the  Tower  from  the  Northeast  as  it  Would  Appear  Denuded 
OF  Vegetation  and  Extraneous  Masonry. 

The  base,  upwards  of  20  feet  square,  is  believed  to  be  of  solid  masonry.  The  stories  are 
marked  I,  la,  2  and  3.  The  height  is  about  40  feet.  Masonry  of  smallish,  slightly  dressed  stones 
and  mortar.    Surface,  inside  and  out,  plastered  and  painted. 

For  details  of  stonework  and  present  appearance  of  structure,  see  PI.  XIX. 


i82  Field  Coi-Umiuan   Museum — Axthropc)i.()(;v,  Vol.    i. 

ing,  while  a  blind  stor}',  having  no  exterior  openings  save  minute  air 
holes,  occupies  the  space  within  the  second  narrow  zone  and  just 
over  the  lower  story.  I  was  unable  to  determine  which  of  the  four 
lower  story  openings  served  as  the  doorway,  as  there  are  no  traces  of 
a  stairway,  but  entrance  may  have  been  obtained  from  a  cluster  of 
constructions. remnants  of  which  appear  on  the  north  and  west  sides. 
The  roof  of  these  constructions  was  apparently  on  a  level  with 
the  floor  of  the  lower  openings.  Entrance  to  the  tower,  (Fig.  53), 
is  now  obtained  by  way  of  the  east  opening,  from  which  a  heap  of 
debris  extends  down  to  the  terrace  level.  By  climbing  this  debris 
slope  we  reach  the  first  floor  and  find  the  space  within  largely  oc- 
cupied by  the  stairway,  which  ascends  through  a  centrally  placed 
square  column  of  masonry  :  indeed  the  free  space,  by  means  of  which 
we  pass  around  the  central  column  to  the  other  openings  and  to  the 
entrance  of  the  stairway  on  the  west  side  of  the  column,  is  nowhere 
over  two  feet  wide.  The  construction  and  arrangement  are  fully 
shown  in  the  section,  Fig.  54;  and  the  graphic  section,  Fig.  55.  shows 
the  first  floor,  with  one  of  the  corner  piers  of  the  structure  removed. 

It  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  ground  plan  of  the  first  story, 
Fig.  56.  that  the  corner  piers  are  very  heavy,  measuring  5  feet  and 
a  few  inches  in  thickness  on  the  east  and  west  sides  and  between 
3  and  4  feet  on  the  north  and  south  sides,  while  the  windows  on 
the  east  and  w'est  are  6  feet  wide,  and  on  the  north  and  south 
nearly  5  feet  wide.  The  inclosed  space  is  thus  much  limited,  and 
the  stairwa}'  column  takes  up  5  b}-  10  feet  of  this,  leaving  a  pass- 
ageway in  places  less  than  20  inches  wide. 

The  first  flight  of  stairs  is  entered  by  a  small  doorway  (/',  Fig.  55) 
on  the  west  side,  and  ascending  a  single  step  we  enter  a  minute  pass- 
age which  extends  to  the  center  of  the  column,  f  on  the  ground  plan, 
and  from  this  we  turn  to  the  right  up  a  flight  of  eight  or  nine  steps,* 
landing  on  the  second  floor  facing  the  south  window,  as  indicated  in 
the  plan  at  /  and  in  the  section  at  e.  The  exterior  characters  of  the 
stairway  column  and  the  entrance  to  the  stair  are  well  indicated  in  the 
graphic  section,  Fig.  55.  In  this  illustration  I  have  removed  the  near 
corner  pillar  (its  position  being  indicated  by  the  space  shaded  with 
dotted  lines),  and  part  of  the  pillar  at  the  left,  as  well  as  a  slice  from  the 
whole  upper  part  of  the  building,  the  thickness  of  which  is  indicated 
by  the  dotted  profile  at  the  left.  This  lays  bare  the  whole  construc- 
tion, exposing  the  central  column,  the  windows  with  their  wide  jambs 
and  wood  lintels  (restored  to  accord  with  the  sockets  which  still 
exist),  and  the  slab  ceilings  of  the  passagewa}s.  The  height  of  the 
first  story  is  about  eight  feet,  interior  measurement. 

♦Some  of  my  sketches  indicate  nine  steps  from  Hoor  to  floor  while  other  sketches   and  notes 
show  ten. 


Feb.  1897.          Anciext  Chies  of  Mexico —Holmes. 


183 


Fig   54. 


Section  of  Tower  from  North  to  South,  Showing  Stairways 
AND  Construction 


The  base  is  apparently  a  solid  mass  of  masonry.    The  stories  are  marked  i,  i^,  2  and  3.   The 
wooden  lintels  are  restored  to  agree  with  the  sockets. 

a.a.    First  tioor  passage  with  doorways  at  right  and  left. 
f>.    Entrance  to  stairway  one  step  up  from  hrst  floor. 

Opening  from  fourth  or  fifth  step  of  stair  to  blind  story. 

Passage  and  minute  north  chamber  of  blind  story,  position  with  reference  to  walls  of 

Tower  not  fully  defined. 
Landing  in  south  doorway  (window)  of  second  story. 
Entrance  to  stairway  of  second  story. 
Landing  on  third  floor,  partially  blocked  by  debris. 
Small  openings  seen  in  east  wall  of  stair  shaft,  third  story. 


d,d. 


1^4  FlKl.n    Coi.lMl'.IAX     MUSKUM — AXIHROPOLOGV,    VoL.     I. 


Fig.  55.     Partial  Section  of  Tower  Exhibiting  Various  Features  of  Construction. 

The  stories  are  marked  i,  la,  2  and  3.  The  wooden  lintels  are  restored  to  agree  with  sockets. 
The  near  corner  pier  has  been  removed  in  the  first  and  second  stories  to  show  the  stair  column,  and  a 
slice  is  taken  from  the  whole  north  front  above  the  first  floor. 

a.     First  floor;  dotted  spaces  indicate  position  of  removed  pier. 

d.    Stair  column  with  entrance  to  first  flight. 

c.  Minute  north  chamber  of  blind  story. 

d.  Second  story,  showing  entrance  to  second  flight  ot  stairs. 

e.  Landing  of  second  flight  of  stairs  on  fourth  floor. 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


i«5 


In  ascending  the  stairway,  which  is  twenty  inches  wide  and  has 
masonry  walls  and  a  stepped  or  offset  ceiHng.  we  encounter  on  the 
left,  at  the  fourth  (or  fifth)  step, a  side  door,  as  indicated  in  the  section; 
this  leads  to  the  most  novel  feature  of  the  Tower,  a  blind  story  which 
occupies  an  irregular  space  about  the  stair  column  between  the 
ceiling  below  and  the  floor  above.  The  plan  of  the  little  cells 
of  this    story    is    given    in    Fig.    57.      The  height  is   about  4  feet    6 


Fig.  56.     Ground  Plan  of  First  Story  of  Towef 


N 

d 

i^;c: 

c  (T^-v-.:};^ 

m. 

y 

i 

fll 

..a|:;.. 

1 

i 

Fig.  57.     Ground  Plan  of  Blind  Story  of  Tower. 


a.  Entrance  from  fourth  step  of  stairway. 

b.  c.  Air  holes. 

d.  Minute  north  chamber. 

e.  Doorway  from  passage  to  north  chamber. 


inches,  and  so  far  as  I  could  determine  no  light  was  provided  for, 
save  that  which  came  down  the  stairway  from  the  south  window  and 
entered  by  the  doorway  at  a.  Naturally  the  northern  and  western 
extension  of  the  minute  gallery,  which  passes  along  the  east  side  of 


i86  FiEi.n  Cdi.l MHiAN   Museum — Anthropology,  \'ol.  i. 

the  column  and  around  the  north  and  west,  was  very  dark,  and  the 
north  chamber,  d,  entered  from  the  gallery  by  a  miniature  door,  e, 
had  to  be  explored  with  a  candle,  though  light  is  now  admitted  to 
some  extent  through  a  breach  in  the  wall  and  floor  of  the  passage 
over  the  east  door  of  the  story  below.  The  door,  which  is  20 
inches  wide  and  some  45  inches  high,  and  the  chamber,  which  is  only 
2  feet  wide  and  4  feet  8  inches  long,  are  shown  in  the  graphic  section. 
Fig.  55,  at  c. 

The  second  stor\ — or  the  third  if  we  count  the  blind  story — repeats 
the  first  story  very  closely  and  need  not  be  described,  save  to  indi- 
cate that  the  roof  of  the  passageway  is  -arched  and  not  flat  as  in  the 
lower  story.  In  the  latter,  flat  slabs  were  used  because  an  arch  would 
have  taken  up  the  room  needed  for  the  blind  story,  which  has  but  4 
feet  6  inches  of  space  as  it  is.  The  nature  of  the  construction  is 
clearly  shown  in  the  section.  The  height  of  the  doorways  is  about 
6  feet  and  of  the  ceiling  about  7  feet.  At  this  level  the  tower 
approximates  18  feet  from  east  to  west,  and  20  feet  from  north  to 
south. 

The  stairway  to  the  third  or  top  story  is  entered  b}-  a  doorway 
{li.  Fig.  55)  in  the  west  side  of  the  supporting  column,  corresponding 
in  position  and  appearance  with  the  entrance  on  the  floor  below,  and 
seven  steps  (width  26  inches,  rise  16  inches,  tread  10  inches)  lead  up 
to  the  landing  at  c.  The  ascent  is  to  the  north,  the  reverse  of  that 
of  the  lower  stairs,  so  that  the  landing  was  in  front  of  the  third 
window  on  the  north.  The  flat  stones  of  the  fallen  roof  of  the  top 
story  now  partially  close  the  upper  end  of  the  stairway,  e,  and  at 
the  time  of  Stephens'  visit  closed  it  so  completely  as  to  lead  him 
to  believe  that  the  stair  passage  ended  here.  Passing  out  of  the 
debris-blocked  opening  I  found  that  the  upper  story — that  is  to  say 
the  uppermost  storv  of  which  traces  now  exist — was  about  half  stand- 
ing, though  the  roof  had  fallen  in  and  the  central  or  stairway  column 
was  covered  by  a  mass  of  loose  stones.  It  is  impossible  to  sa\"  with 
certainty,  without  excavation,  whether  a  third  flight  of  steps,  leading 
up  to  a  fourth  floor  or  to  the  roof,  ever  existed:  but  I  found  traces  of 
three  small  openings  in  the  north  side  of  the  column,  (see  Fig.  53), 
which  may  have  served  the  purpose  of  lighting  a  stair  passage,  or,, 
otherwise,  a  minute  central  chamber. 

TEMPLE  OF  INSCRIPTIONS.  Of  the  several  isolated  temples 
now  standing  in  Palenque  the  Temple  of  Inscriptions  i  B  in  the 
panorama),  is  the  largest  and  best  preserved.  It  differs  from  the 
others  in  several  particulars.  The  sanctuary  has  no  tablet  room, 
such  as  are  seen  in  the  other  temples,  and  the  great  tablets,  placed 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico— Holmes.  187 

two  at  the  sides  of  the  sanctuary  door  and  one  against  the  back  wall 
of  the  sanctuary,  contain  only  hieroglyphics.  These  are  the  largest 
and  most  important  mural  inscriptions  found  in  America  and  are  in 
the  usual  style  of  characters  and  in  low  relief. 

The  pyramid  is  50  or  60  feet  in  height  and  stands  so  close  to  the 
southwest  corner  of  the  Palace  platform  that  the  adjacent  corners  seem 
to  coalesce  to  a  slight  extent.  The  slopes  are  steep,  reaching  approx- 
imately 45  degrees,  and  are  so  covered  with  debris  and  vegeta- 
tion that  only  small  portions  of  the  surface  can  be  seen.  A  platform, 
some  12  feet  wide,  occurs  near  the  top,  and  from  this,  midway  in  the 
front,  a  few  steps  of  well  hewn  stone  lead  to  the  summit;  at  the  sides 
of  the  stair  are  sloping  sculptured  slabs  forming  a  kind  of  balustrade. 
The  pile  is  long  and  narrow,  and  the  building,  as  seen  behind  the 
Palace  in  the  panorama,  is  set  high  against  the  dark  forest-covered 
hillside.  Other  inferior  structures,  entirely  hidden  by  the  dense 
foliage,  stand  adjoining  this  at  the  west  end. 

The  length  of  the  building  is  75  feet,  the  width  25  feet,  and 
the  full  height  probably  between  25  and  30  feet.  It  faces  north  14 
degrees  east,  magnetic,  which  is  a  variation  of  4  or  5  degrees  from  the 
orientation  of  the  west  wall  of  the  Palace. 

The  walls  are  about  4  feet  thick  and  the  construction  and  finish 
are  as  usual.  The  profile  corresponds  closely  with  that  of  the  north 
ranges  of  the  Palace,  and  the  roof-comb  is  similar  to  that  of  the  north- 
ern interior  building.  Within  are  two  great  vaults,  nearly  70  feet  long 
and  a  little  less  than  7  feet  wide.  The  front  vault — the  corridor 
of  the  temple — is  entered  by  five  wide  doorways  (seen  in  the  pano- 
rama), and  the  three  rear  apartments,  into  which  the  back  vault  is 
divided,  are  entered  by  one  doorway  each.  The  exterior  openings 
are  square  and  were  spanned  originally  by  wooden  lintels,  while  the 
inner  are  arched.  There  are  no  other  openings,  save  a  number  of 
small  squarish  apertures  piercing  the  outer  walls.  The  floors  are 
paved,  in  part  at  least,  with  slabs  of  limestone.  The  two  important 
and  striking  features  of  this  strange  building  are  the  stucco  embellish- 
ments of  the  exterior,  and  the  inscribed  tablets  within.  The  exterior 
decorations  are  mainly  in  stucco.  The  four  free  pillars  contain  on  their 
outer  faces,  modeled  in  bold  relief,  life-sized  figures  of  women  holding 
children  in  their  arms;  while  the  wide  lateral  wall-fronts,  or  antae,  are 
covered  with  glyphs.  The  lower  zone  of  the  roof  has  been  richly 
embellished  with  figure  subjects,  now  nearly  obliterated,  the  effect 
having  been  varied  by  decorated  projections  over  each  doorway. 
The  upper  slope  and  the  roof-comb  show  no  decorations.  These 
various  features  are  but  imperfectly  indicated  in  the  panoramic  view. 


i88         Field  Collmhian  Museum — Axthropologv,   Vol.    i. 

The  inscribed,  limestone  tablets,  occupying  the  back  walls  of  the 
vestibule  and  sanctuary,  are  well  presented  in  the  work  of  Stephens. 
His  plates  bear  witness  to  the  courage  and  patience  of  Catherwood, 
and  to  the  remarkable  accuracy  of  his  pencil.  They  have  been  further 
brought  before  the  world  by  the  excellent  casts  of  Charnay,  now  found 
in  numerous  museums. 

TEMPLE  OF  THE  BEAU  RELIEF.  Leaving  the  Temple  of  the 
Inscriptions  we  descended  to  the  bed  of  the  creek  at  the  corner  of 
the  Palace  and,  following  one  of  its  dry  freshet-cleared  channels, 
thus  partially  avoiding  the  undergrowth,  soon  obtained  a  view  of  the 
small  but  interesting  Temple  of  the  Beau  Relief,  which  is  hardly  more 
than  500  feet  from  the  south  end  of  the  Palace,  and  is  seen  in  the 
panorama  at  C  The  stream  runs  hard  in  against  its  west  bank  at  this 
point,  cutting  into  the  limestone  beds  beneath  the  ruin;  and  less  than 
100  feet  farther  down  it  sinks  gradually  out  of  sight,  finding  its  way 
into  the  clogged  upper  end  of  the  ancient,  arched  waterway.  The 
forest-clad  hill  rises  at  a  steep  angle  and  is  covered  with  debris  from 
the  ruin  which  is  perched  upon  a  narrow  ledge  built  against  the 
precipitous  slope  some  75  feet  above  the  stream.  This  ledge  or 
shelf,  which  took  the  place  of  a  pyramid,  was  not  more  than  25  or  30 
feet  square,  and  was  probably  faced  with  stone  on  front  and  sides; 
and  doubtless  a  stairway  led  up  the  middle  from  the  stream  bed  or 
from  a  horizontal  roadway  or  terrace  now  obliterated.  The  temple 
was  about  20  feet  square  and  was  entered,  according  to  earh'  draw- 
ings, by  a  single  square  doorwa}':  from  this,  with  the  forest  cleared 
away,  a  fine  view  could  be  obtained  of  the  temples  opposite  and  the 
valley  below.  It  faces  east,  varying  but  two  or  three  degrees  from  the 
magnetic  orientation.  The  breaking  down  of  the  substructure  at  the 
outer  margin  has  undermined  the  facade  and  this  and  portions  of  the 
lateral  walls  have  fallen,  leaving  the  ragged  edges  of  the  end  walls 
and  roof  exposed.  At  the  left  in  the  crumbling  mass  of  the  terrace,  a 
small  basement  room  is  partially  exposed,  and  above  we  see  the  inner 
wall  of  the  vestibule,  vertical  and  plain  below  and  sloping  forward 
above,  indicating  the  usual  vault.  In  the  center  of  this  wall  is 
the  squarish  doorway  leading  into  the  sanctuary  or  tablet  chamber. 
The  lintel,  which  was  probably  of  zapote,  is  gone  and  the  wall  is 
cracked  above;  but  the  jambs  are  well  preserved  and  are  faced  each 
with  the  remnants  or  imprints  of  two  vertical  rows  of   stucco  glyphs. 

The  sanctuary  is  an  arched  chamber  of  usual  construction  and 
appearance.  It  is  6  feet  2  inches  wide  and  17  feet  long.  The  walls 
are  S  feet  high  to  the  spring  of  the  arch,  and  retain  their  plastered 
surface  in  part  only:   they  are  2  feet  2  inches  thick  and  have  several 


Feb.  1897.          An'Ciext  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


189 


small  squarish  perforations.      The  sloping   upper   walls  are    pierced 
with  beam  sockets  as  usual. 

The  various  constructional  features  are  well  shown  in  the  accom- 
panying section,  Fig.  58,  though  the  profile  of  the  roof  is  not 
very  definitely  made  out. 

..f 


S, 


Fig.  58.     Section  and  Perspective  of  the  Temple  of  the  Beau  Relief. 

<x.     Vestibule  showing  entrance  to  sanctuary  bordered  by  glyphic  inscriptions;  wooden  lintel 
restored. 

b.  Back  vault  or  sanctuary  showing  the  Beau  Kelief  and  entrance   to   basement   stair. 

c.  Basement  chamber  at  foot  ot  stair,  north  extension. 

d.  East  extension  of  basement  chamber. 
e-f.    Slope  of  mountain  side. 

g-h.    Line  indicating  portion  of  front  ot  building  destroyed. 

A  remarkable  feature  of  this  building  is  the  basement  apartment 
and  the  stairway  leading  down  to  it  through  the  floor  of  the  sanctuary, 
as  indicated  in  the  illustration.  There  are  seven  steps,  each  with  15 
inches  rise  and  8  inches  tread.  The  principal  chamber  corresponds  in 
length  and  width  with  the  sanctuary  above,  but  is  only  7  feet  in 
height   and   is  partially    occupied   by   the  stairway.      A    small    vault 


igo         Field  Coi.lmbian  Museum — Axthropologv,   Vol.    i. 

extends  from  this  apartment  forward  under  the  south  end  of  the  ves- 
tibule. The  plans  given  by  Bancroft  are  correct  in  nearly  every 
particular. 

The  most  interesting  feature  of  this  temple  was  a  stucco  bas- 
relief — taking  the  place  of  the  limestone  tablets  of  other  temples — the 
remnant  of  which  occupies  the  middle  of  the  back  wall  of  the  sanc- 
tuary, opposite  the  doorway.  Charnay  states  that  the  relief  is 
entirely  obliterated,  but  I  find  that  nearly  one-third  remains  and 
affords  an  opportunity  of  determining  the  nature  and  style  of  the 
work.  The  subject,  as  depicted  b}'  Waldeck  and  reproduced  by 
Bancroft  and  others,  consists  of  a  single  figure,  nearly  life  size,  seated 
in  a  graceful  pose  on  a  throne  which  terminates  at  the  right  and  left 
in  tiger  heads,  the  conventional,  angular  seat  being  supported  by 
two  legs  modeled  to  represent  the  feet  of  the  animal.  I  consider  it 
a  piece  of  great  good  fortune  to  have  had  the  opportunity  of  examin- 
ing the  remnant  of  this  remarkable  masterpiece,  and  take  especial 
pleasure  irr'testifying,  so  far  as  a  study  of  the  fragment  will  warrant, 
to  the  accuracy  of  the  descriptions  and  drawings  published  by  some 
of  the  early  explorers.  No  part  of  the  human  figure  remains  save 
perhaps  a  bit  of  the  right  knee,  and  the  tiger  heads  are  nearly  all  gone; 
but,  with  the  engraving  published  b}'  Bancroft  in  my  hand,  I  studied 
the  remains  of  drapery  and  the  modeling  of  the  animal  features  of  the 
chair  with  great  minuteness,  finding  the  drawing  absolutely  accurate 
save  t'hat  the  artist  has  not  caught,  or  the  engraver  has  failed  to  pre- 
serve the  full  spirit  of  the  work.  The  drapery  is  modeled  in  a  mas- 
terly way  and  the  subtle  lines  of  the  foot  and  claws  of  the  cat  are  for- 
cibly suggested.  I  must  acknowledge  having  harbored  a  feeling  of 
skepticism,  awakened  years  ago,  as  to  the  truthfulness  of  Waldeck's 
drawing.  I  believed  that  the  graceful  pose  of  the  body  and  limbs  of 
the  figure,  the  flowing  yet  vigorous  plumes  and  drapery,  and  the 
refinement  of  the  relievo  modeling,  were  beyond  the  reach  of  native 
skill,  but  having  seen  what  is  left  of  the  original  I  am  willing  to 
accept  the  drawing  of  Waldeck  as  an  excellent  interpretation  if  not 
an  entirely  satisfactory  copy  of  the  work.  While  there  is  certainly 
some  loss  of  native  character  and  force  there  is  probably  also  a  little 
over-refinement  of  drawing  and  finish,  natural  enough  in  the  work  of  an 
accomplished  artist  not  deeply  impressed  with  the  importance  of 
scientific  accuracy'.  The  illustration  of  the  same  subject  published  by 
Dupaix  is,  in  ni}'  opinion,  hardly  above  the  rank  of  a  caricature.  A 
photographic  reproduction  of  the  lithograph  published  by  Waldeck 
is  presented  in  PI.    XX. 

As  a  work  of  art  this  bas-relief  would   not  suffer   by   comparison 
with   representative   relief   sculptures  of  Egypt,    Babylonia    and    the 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,  PL.  XX. 


mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmBmmmmmmmm 


Stucco  Altar-Piece  known  as  the  Beau  Relief.     After  Waldeck 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  191 

•far  East,  and  in  balance  of  parts  and  grace  of  line  has  few  rivals.  The 
right  hand  of  the  figure  is  extended  as  if  to  call  attention  to  the 
inscription  toward  which  the  face  is  turned,  while  the  left  hand  is 
raised,  the  index  finger  pointing  upward. 

The  imprint  of  portions  of  the  figure  still  remains  upon  the  wall, 
and  the  remnant  as  it  stands  affords  an  excellent  opportunity  of 
■studying  the  technique  of  the  worker  in  stucco.  The  roughly  laid  up 
wall  was  covered  somewhat  evenly  with  plaster,  then  as  the  model- 
ing advanced,  if  the  relief  was  high,  bits  of  stone  were  set  in,  mak- 
ing a  framework  for  the  prominent  features.  Where  strong  project- 
ing portions  were  to  be  added  shallow  pits  were  dug  in  the  masonry 
as  sockets  for  the  projecting  stones.  Mortar  was  then  carried  over 
all,  rough  shaping  the  form;  perfection  of  modeling  was  made  pos- 
sible by  employing  finer  grained  mixtures,  and  finish  was  given  by 
polishing  and   painting. 

Of  the  two  lines  of  inscriptions  three  glyphs  remain  nearly  intact 
— the  second  from  the  top  at  the  left  and  the  third  and  fourth  from 
below  on  the  right.  Outlines  of  others  are  seen  as  indicated  by 
Waldeck.  The  glyphs  were  modeled  separately  and  set,  after  hard- 
ening, into  the  bed  of  soft   plaster. 

The  inclosing  framework  of  the  picture  is  neatly  executed,  though 
it  has  not  quite  the  mechanical  precision  indicated  by  Waldeck.  It  is 
3^  inches  wide,  save  at  the  base,  where  it  is  about  6  inches  wide,  and 
the  inside  measurement  is  73  inches  horizontally  and  go  inches  ver- 
tically. Its  relief  is  i^  inches.  A  rough  hole  in  the  wall,  behind 
the  point  of  the  right  elbow  of  the  figure,  probably  had  nothing  to  do 
with  the  relief  and  may  be  of  recent  origin. 

EAST  SIDE  REMAINS.  On  the  east  side  of  the  channel  of  the 
Otolum  we  have  an  interesting  group,  consisting  of  three  well  pre- 
served temples  and  several  mounds  some  of  which  retain  remnants  of 
walls.  In  the  panorama  they  are  at  the  left  and  occupy  a  system  of 
•terraces  from  30  to  50  feet  in  height  that  rises  abruptly  from  the 
stream  level  and  extends  back  some  four  hundred  feet  to  the  base  of 
the  mountain  spur.  The  three  main  temples  face  a  depressed,  squar- 
ish space  a  few  hundred  feet  wide,  which  has  near  the  center  a  heap 
of  stones  representing  some  small  structure.  This  space  may  have 
served  as  a  court  in  which  were  conducted  ceremonies  pertaining  to  the 
temples.  This  arrangement  is  repeated  on  two  terraces  rising  one 
behind  the  other  to  the  south;  the  front  line  of  structures  is  thus 
separated  from  those  set  against  the  base  of  the  Cerro.  Owing  to  the 
position  of  the  buildings,  only  rear  views  of  the  Temples  of  the  Cross 
.and  Sun  are  obtained  in   the  panorama,    while  the  broken   facade  of 


192         Field  Collmhiax  Museum — Anthropology,   \'ol.    i. 

the  third — the  Temple  of  the  Cerro  or  Cross  Xo.  2 — is  barely  visible 
beyond  the  Temple  of  the  Cross. 

TEMPLE  OF  THE  SUN.  This  temple  is  one  of  the  best  pre- 
served of  the  Palenque  buildings  and  may  be  presented  in  some 
detail  as  a  type  of  its  class.  It  is  inferior  in  size  and  architectural 
pretensions  to  the  Temple  of  the  Cross,  but  resembles  it  closely  in 
every  important  particular.  The  pyramid  is  hardly  more  than  20  or 
25  feet  in  height  and  is  so  close  to  the  terrace  front  that  its  outer 
slope  coincides  with  that  of  the  terrace.  A  mound  of  inferior  size 
adjoins  this  on  the  north  and  annexed  piles  extend  toward  the  Temple 
of  the  Cross;  while  a  larger  pile  rises  on  the  south,  and  still  another 
occupies  the  margin  of  the  terrace  opposite  the  Temple  of  the  Beau 
Relief.  In  most  of  these  mounds  traces  of  rumed  walls  are  visible. 
In  the  panoramic  view  we  see  the  north  wall  and  the  west  or  back 
wall  of  the  Temple  of  the  Sun.  The  front  elevation,  facing  the  east,, 
is  shown  in  PI.  XXI:  the  view  is  reproduced  from  a  photograph  ver}'' 
kindl}'  placed  at  my  service  by  Mr.  A.  P.  Maudslay.  This  energetic 
and  successful  explorer  has  in  preparation  a  paper  on  Palenque,  to 
be  accompanied  by  many  of  his  superb  views,  which  will  undoubtedly 
be  by  far  the  most  important  contribution  to  the  world's  knowledge 
of  these  remains.  An  excellent  illustration  of  this  building  is  given 
by  Charnay,  and  Stephens  and  Waldeck  have  furnished  very  careful 
drawings.  The  building  is  38  feet  long  by  28  feet  wide,  and  the  full 
height,  including  the  roof-crest,  is  about  35  feet.  The  walls  are 
about  3  feet  thick  and  rise  verticalh*  to  the  height  of  10^2  feet.  The 
interior  comprises  the  usual  pair  of  longitudinal  vaults,  each  between 
9  and  10  feet  wide  and  a  little  over  20  feet  high.  The  soffit  surfaces, 
sloping  in  from  all  four  sides,  rise  at  an  angle  of  about  70  degrees,  and 
the  capstones  forming  the  ceiling  are  exposed  to  a  w'idth   of  2  feet. 

The  front  vault — the  vestibule  of  the  temple — is  shown  in  the 
sketch  (Fig.  59)  as  it  would  appear  if  the  end  wall  at  the  south  were 
removed.  The  floor  is  now  much  obscured  b}'  debris  but  appears 
to  be  surfaced  with  cement.  At  the  right  are  the  three  doorways, 
separated  by  two  squarish  piers.  The  middle  span  is  much  broken 
down  above,  but  the  lintel  sockets  are  still  visible  and  I  have  restored 
the  timbers  that  the  construction  may  be  better  understood.  The 
exact  present  condition  is  shown  in  the  photograph,  PI.  XXI.  The 
outer  faces  of  the  piers  were  covered  with  stucco  figures  and  glyphs, 
as  shown  in  the  view,  but  the  interior  surfaces  are  all  plain.  At  the 
left  are  three  doorways,  perforating  the  thick  medial  wall  which  sep- 
arates the  front  and  back  vaults.  The  middle  opening  gives  entrance 
to  the  sanctuary,  and  is  about  S  feet    wide,  and   being   arched   above 


Feb.  1897. 


Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


193 


it  extends  high  up  into  the  massive  masonry  of  the  upper  walL 
Smaller  doors,  of  like  construction,  but  confined  to  the  lower  wall- 
zone,  occur  at  the  extreme  ends  of  this  wall  and  afford  entrance  to 
the  two  antechambers  adjoining  the  sanctuary.  Over  the  north  door- 
wa}^  perforating  the  soffit  slope  is  a  coffin-shaped  opening  resembling 


Fig.  59.    Section  AND  Perspective  of  Outer  Vault  or  Vestibule,  Temple  of  the 

Sun;  Looking  North. 

a.  Stairway,  east  front. 

b.  Floor  of  vestibule. 

c.  Middle  doorway  with  wooden  lintel  (restored). 

d.  Doorway  to  sanctuary;  cuneiform  arch. 

e.  Back  vault  (see  Fig.  60). 
f-g.  Doorways  to  antechambers. 

h.    Traces  of  partition  wall,  indicated  by  dotted  lines. 
Other  features  as  usual. 

the  corresponding  features  in  the  Palace,  already  described,  and 
another  like  opening  over  the  south  door  has  been  closed  by  masonry. 
Above  we  have  the  soffit  slopes,  narrowing  up  to  the  capstones.  The 
farther  end  of  the  chamber  has  a  tau-shaped  opening  of  usual  style, 


194         Field  Coi.l.mkiax  Museum — Anthropology,   Yol.    i. 

and  another  occurs  in  the  south  end.  The  plastered  walls  are  further 
broken  by  pole  sockets  scattered  over  the  soffit  spaces,  and  by 
numerous  dumb-sheave  cord  holders,   some  built  into  the  walls  at   the 


Fig.    60.    Section    and    Perspective  of  Back   Vault   (Sanctuary   and   Anterooms) 

Temple  of  the  Sun. 

a.  Front  vault  or  vestibule  (see  Fig.  59). 

d.  Doorway  connecting  vestibule  with  sanctuary. 

c.  Lateral  doorway  connecting  vestibule  and  antechamber. 

d.  Doorway  into  tablet  chamber. 

e.  Floor  of  tablet  chamber. 

/.    Sacred  tablet.    (See  I'l.  XXIL) 

g-.    Dotted  vertical  line  indicating  former  position  of  antee  relief. 
//.     Doorway  through  partition. 

i-i.     Partition  wall  separating  sanctuary  from   antechamber,   omitted   to  give   view   of  tablet 
room,  the  near  end  of  which  is  also  removed  to  expose  tlie  interior. 

sides  of  the  doorways  and  others  perforating  the  projecting  edge  of 
the  offset  at  the  spring  of  the  arch.  Just  beyond  the  main  doorway 
are  traces  of  a  thin  partition  wall  that  must  have  separated  the  vesti- 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  195 

bule  into  two  sections  of  unequal  dimensions.  The  walls  of  this,  as 
well  as  of  the  other  apartments,  are  quite  rough  and  much  coated 
with  calcareous  deposits  distributed  by  percolating  waters. 

In  Fig.  60  I  present  a  section  and  sketch  of  the  back  vault,  the 
southern  wall  being  removed  to  give  necessary  distance  and  exposure. 
Also  the  partition  wall — indicated  by  dotted  lines — separating  the 
south  antechamber  and  the  south  end  of  the  box-like  tablet  room,  are 
omitted,  so  that  the  construction  of  all  the  peculiar  features  may  be 
apparent. 

The  tablet  chamber  is  placed  against  the  back  wall,  the  tablet 
appearing  at/.  It  is  arched  as  are  the  greater  chambers,  and  has  its 
pole  sockets  and  dumb-sheave  cord  holders  as  do  the  other  vaults. 
The  center  of  the  floor,  e,  has  been  dug  up  by  some  explorer,  probably 
Del  Rio.  The  doorway,  with  lintel  restored,  appears  at  the  right,  and 
outside,  penetrating  the  medial  wall,  is  the  great  arched  doorway  to 
the  vestibule. 

The  front  of  the  tablet  chamber  is  the  only  part  that  has  received 
any  particular  attention  from  the  decorator,  but  the  breaking  out  of 
the  doorway  above  has  nearly  destroyed  the  handsome  stucco  over- 
door  design;  and  the  sculptured  tablets  that  formerly  faced  the 
exterior  of  the  door  jambs  have  been  removed,  leaving  only  the  plas- 
ter beds  with  their  roughened  surfaces  as  prepared  by  the  workmen 
who  set  the  tablets.  An  excellent  representation  of  this  curious 
facade  is  given  by  Stephens*;  the  two  jamb  tablets  are  in  place  and 
portions  of  the  beautiful  tablet  are  seen  within.  The  over-door  orna- 
ment, of  which  small  portions  remain  at  the  right  and  left,  probably 
embodied  a  pair  of  the  peculiarly  conventionalized  serpent  devices 
characteristic  of  Usumacinta  art.  The  roof  is  flat,  the  height  is  10 
feet,  the  width  6  feet  and  the  length  11  feet.  The  ground  plan  is 
shown  on  the  accompanying  map. 

The  exterior  features  of  the  building  are  shown  in  PI.  XXI,  but 
deserve  brief  review.  The  two  free  piers,  separating  the  portal  into 
three  sections,  retain  fragments  of  the  stucco  figures  which  formerly 
covered  them;  and  the  side  piers,  or  antae-fronts,  have  been  occupied 
by  glyphs,  two  examples  of  large  size  and  elaborate  design  still 
retaining  their  places  on  the  left-hand  pier.  The  ends  and  back  wall 
present  plain,  rather  roughly  plastered  surfaces,  varied  only  by  the 
minute  window-like  openings.  There  is  a  projection  of  masonry  at 
the  floor  level,  and  below  this  the  wall  faces,  where  exposed,  descend 
vertically.  The  eaves,  which  correspond  to  the  medial  wall-mold- 
ing of  the  Yucatec  buildings,  are  very  pronounced  and  bold,  project- 
ing 3  feet   and   retreating   above  at  a   sharp  angle,    thus  connecting 

*  Incidents  of  Travel.    Vol.  II,  facing  page  354. 


196         Field  Columbian   Museum — Anthropologv,   Vol.    i. 

gracefully  with  the  steep  slopes  of  the  roof.  This  great  projec- 
tion is  secured  by  setting  large  slabs  upon  the  top  of  the  walls  and 
facing  the  sloping,  outer  surface  with  a  course  of  rather  roughly  hewn 
stones  as  shown  in  some  of  my  sections.  The  outer  margins  of  the 
eaves-slabs  are  perforated  at  intervals  of  a  few  inches  by  holes  for 
cords,  intended  no  doubt  for  supporting  awnings  or  screens. 

The  roof  of  this  building  is  of  great  interest.  Its  conformation  sug- 
gests the  mansard  of  our  domestic  architecture,  the  profile  being  nearly 
uniform  on  the  four  sides  and  receding  in  two  principal  stages.  The 
wide  lower  slope,  corresponding  to  what  I  have  called  the  entablature 
zone  in  Yucatec  buildings,  pitches  back  from  the  eaves-moldings  at  an 
angle  perhaps  a  little  greater  than  that  of  the  arch  soffit  within. 
It  is  about  7  feet  wide  and  is  bordered  above  by  a  second  but  less 
pronounced  set  of  moldings  corresponding  to  the  frieze  or  coping 
moldings  of  the  Yucatec  buildings.  These  also  incline  backward 
and  are  followed  by  the  upper  or  roof-space  proper,  which  is  about 
6  feet  wide  at  the  sides  and  extends  back  at  a  very  low  angle  to  the 
base  of  the  roof-comb. 

The  upper  sloping  space  seems  to  have  remained  plain,  which  is 
reasonable,  as  it  would  not  be  in  sight  from  any  available  point  of 
view;  but  the  lower  zone  has  been  embellished  all  the  wa}'  around 
and  furnishes  one  of  the  most  remarkable  illustrations  extant  of  the 
ambition  and  ability  of  the  Maya  decorator.  The  subjects,  undoubt- 
edly niN'thologic  and  germane  to  the  functions  of  the  temple,  were 
wrought  out  in  stucco  in  high,  round  relief,  and — though  now  badly 
broken  up — enough  remains  to  show  that  they  were  analogous  in 
character  to  better  preserved,  though  less  pretentious,  examples  of 
the  same  class.  The  style  is  even  more  florid  than  usual.  On  the 
east  side  or  front  (PI.  XXI),  we  detect  the  form  of  a  serpentine 
monster  covering  nearly  the  entire  space,  21  feet  long  by  7  feet  wide, 
with  other  figures  and  appendages  filling  the  interspaces.  At  the 
right  is  the  figure  of  a  man  kneeling  upon  a  framework,  beneath 
which  are  traces  of  a  grotesque  face  of  large  size,  with  bulging  eyes, 
reminding  one  of  the  wild-eyed  monsters  of  some  of  the  Javanese 
ruins.  The  border  of  this  great  panel,  formed  of  the  lower  and 
upper  moldings  and  the  sloping  corner  pieces,  was  no  doubt  furnished 
with  appropriate,  conventional  ornaments. 

The  roof-comb  which,  as  it  stands  to-day,  is  well  shown  in  PI. 
XXI,  consists  of  a  very  narrow  vault,  extending  the  full  length  of 
the  roof,  and  is  2  feet  wide  within  and  12  feet  high;  it  is  open  at 
the  ends,  and  the  section  resembles  that  shown  in  Fig.  64.  The  walls 
are  3  feet  thick  below  and  2  feet  or  less  above.    They  incline  together 


Pl.  XXi.     Temple  of  the  Sun:  from  the  East. 


Four  noteworthy  features  of  this  structure  are  the  pyramid,  some  25  feet  Ui 
height,  the  vertical  wall  with  its  three  doorways,  the  sloping  roof  in  two  zones,  and 
the  perforate  roof-comb.  It  is  apparent  that  the  middle  doorway — much  broken 
down  above — is  considerably  wider  than  the  others.  Remnants  of  stucco  figures 
and  glyphs  occur  on  two  of  the  piers.  The  elaborate  stucco  designs  of  the 
principal  roof-zone  are  imperfectly  seen,  and  those  of  the  roof-comb  are  nearly  all 
gone  save  on  the  west  side.     Photograph  by  A.  P.  Maudslay. 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,  PL.  XXI. 


'-,* 


-     :i   i      m    ^w  ,^— *"■- 


Temple  of  the  Sun;  from  the  East. 


Feb.  1897.  Ancien]'  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  197 

at  a  slight  angle  and  are  connected  above  by  the  usual  offset  arch  in 
miniature.  They  are  perforated  in  a  varied  and  striking  manner 
and  were  finished  at  the  top  with  a  slight  molding.  The  masonry  is 
well  built  of  rather  small  stones  set  in  mortar,  and  the  openings, 
when  close  together,  are  separated  and  spanned  by  dressed  slabs. 

The  faces  and  ends  of  this  strange  comb  were  entirely  covered 
with  bold  designs  in  stucco,  and  it  is  apparent  that  it  was  built  for  no 
other  purpose  than  to  serve  as  a  framework  upon  which  to  model 
these  mythologic  tableaux,  and  to  add  to  the  beauty  and  effect  of 
the  building.  I  have  sought  to  determine  the  motive  that  led  to  the 
openwork  construction.  Was  it  a  method  of  reducing  the  weight  of 
the  wall  which,  built  solid,  would  greatly  increase  the  strain  upon 
the  vaults?  Or  was  it  thought  that  the  effect  of  the  openwork 
behind  the  sculptures  was  especially  pleasing?  The  latter  is,  perhaps, 
the  more  reasonable;  but  there  may  have  been  some  phase  of  bar- 
barian ceremony  for  which  the  openings  were  utilized. 

The  mechanical  skill  displayed  in  the  construction  of  these  roof- 
crests  is  worthy  of  note.  It  was  not  difificult  to  model  the  reliefs  upon 
the  sloping  surface  of  the  roof  or  on  the  lower  walls,  but  it  would  be 
difficult  to  fix  scaffolding  against  these  roof-combs.  It  may  be  that 
the  latticework  walls  were  utilized  in  this  work.  It  would  be  easy  in 
building,  or  in  repairing  and  painting  the  stucco  groups,  to  place  pro- 
jecting timbers  through  the  openings  and  attach  poles  to  the  ends  of 
these  for  workmen   to  stand  upon. 

As  to  the  manner  of  attaching  the  figures  and  ornaments  to  the 
masonry,  and  building  out  th^  relief  in  plaster,  I  made  particular 
observations.  In  other  places  small  stones  were  set  into  the  wall  sur- 
face, projecting  sufficiently  for  the  attachment  and  support  of  the 
applied  work,  and  the  same  is  true  here  to  a  large  extent;  but  much 
dependence  was  placed  on  the  strength  and  adhering  properties  of  the 
plaster,  the  stonework  skeleton  being  attached  by  this  means  to  the 
framework  of  the  comb.  To  illustrate  the  construction,  I  reproduce, 
in  Fig.  61,  a  sketch  of  a  partially  demolished  human  figure  of  colossal 
size  which  occupies  the  middle  portion  of  the  comb  near  the  top  on 
the  west  side.  The  head,  which  is  nearly  gone,  was  fixed  to  the 
cornice  and  was  built  up  of  a  number  of  rough  stones  to  approximate 
the  shape;  the  features  were  then  modeled  over  this,  and  it  is  prob- 
able that  ornaments  were  carried  up  over  the  cornice.  The 
neck  and  body  are  attached  to  the  upright  partition  behind,  and  the 
arms  were  supported  by  the  horizontal  slabs  at  points  of  crossing. 
Plaster  was  used  to  fix  the  long  pieces  of  stone  to  the  framework  and 
the  arms  were  modeled  on  these.      The  strips  of  stone  were  shaped 


igS         Field  Columbian'  Museum — Anthropolocjy,  Vol.    i. 


!flllliliri> 


Fig.  61.     Sketch  Showing  Manner  of  Building  up  Stucco  Figures  against  the 

Open-Work  Roof-Comb. 

for  the  purpose  by  sawing  up  thin  slabs  of  limestone,  and  one  of 
the  pieces  is  shown  in  Fig.  62.  The  appearance  of  the  sawed  surfaces 
indicates  that  the  saw  was  of  primitive  form,  and  there  is  no  reason 
to  suppose  it  was  not  made  of  stone.  The  body  of  the  figure  is  par- 
tially preserved  and  displays  portions  of  a  tastefully  modeled  belt  and 
ornaments.  The  figure  is  seated  cross-legged  on  the  medial  course 
of  the  comb  stonework,  and  the  hands  probably  rested  on  the  knees. 
Portions  of  a  neat  ornamental  framework  appear  at  the  sides,  passing 
around  the  six  apertures  behind  the  figure. 


Fjg.  62.     Sawed  Strip  of  Limestone  used  in  Building  Skeletons  of  Stucco  Fig- 
ures.   The  Section  Indicates  the  Sawing  from  Opposite 
Sides.     One-fourth  Actual  Size. 


Feb.  1897. 


Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


199. 


TEMPLE  OF  THE  CROSS.  This  temple  is  a  prominent  feature  of 
Palenque  and  has  received  more  attention  from  explorers  and  writers 
than  any  of  the  other  buildings.  It  appears  at  the  left  in  the  pan- 
orama, but  as  it  faces  the  south  only  the  back  and  west  end  are  in 
view.  The  position  and  general  conformation  of  the  structure  are, 
however,  well  made  out.  From  the  bed  of  the  stream,  which  is  at 
this  point  a  hundred  or  more  feet  wide  (though  waterless,  save  in 
periods  of  freshet),  the  supporting  terrace  rises  to  the  height  of  30  or 
40  feet  and  extends  back  to  the  foot  of  the  hill,  as  already  described. 


Fig.  63.    Sketch  of  Temple  of  Cross  from   Temple   of  Sun,   Showing    Broken 

Down  Front   of  Former. 

The  pyramid  sets  back  perhaps  a  hundred  feet  from  the  front  and 
rises  at  a  steep  angle  to  the  summit,  which  is  barely  large  enough  to 
accommodate  the  temple,  31  feet  from  north  to  south  and  48  feet  from 
east  to  west.  The  building  faces  south  25  degrees  west,  and  thus  cor- 
responds closely  in  orientation  with  the  Temple  of  the  Sun.  The 
surface  of  the  pyramid  is  entirely  buried  in  debris  and  covered  with 
dense  and  tangled  undergrowth,  and  little  could  be  determined  of  its 
character.  Illustrations  given  by  Stephens  indicate  a  stairway  all 
around.  The  Temple,  including  the  roof-crest,  is  about  42  feet  high, 
and  is  much   like  the  Temple   of  the    Sun    in    nearly  every  important 


200         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,   Vol.    i. 

respect.  The  facade  is  broken  out  and,  as  indicated  in  a  sketch  made 
from  the  Temple  of  the  Sun,  Fig.  63,  the  back  wall  of  the  vestibule, 
with  its  soffit  slope,  doorways  and  ornamental  openings,  is  exposed. 
The  side  walls,  or  antae,  are  broken  down  to  some  extent  and  only 
one  of  the  two  intra-portal  pillars  remains  in  place.  The  exterior 
walls  and  roof,  save  at  the  front,  are  well  preserved,  and  the  perforated 
roof-comb,  though  stripped  of  its  decorations,  is  almost  entire. 

The  medial  wall,  separating  the  outer  corridor  from  the  rear 
gallery,  though  now  fully  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  elements,  still 
preserves  much  of  its  plaster  surface  which,  as  in  many  other  cases, 
is  held  in  place  b}'  coatmgs  of  calcareous  matter,  deposited  by  perco- 
lating water.  It  is  pierced  by  a  great  archway  iS  or  19  feet  in  height 
and  a  little  over  g  feet  wide.  The  walls  below  are  4  feet  2  inches 
thick,  and  at  the  top  of  the  arch  the  distance  through  is  10  or  11  feet. 
A  remarkable  feature  of  this  arch,  a  feature  seen  also  in  one  or  two 
other  temples,  is  the  occurrence  of  a  thin  wall  connecting  the  opposite 
faces  of  the  vault  as  if  to  hold  them  more  firmly  in  place.  The  lower 
margin  of  this  wall  which  may  have  been  supported  by  a  wooden  beam 
extending  from  side  to  side,  or  by  an  arch,  is  broken  out.  This  great 
doorway  gives  entrance  to  the  sanctuary.  At  the  ends  of  the  medial 
wall  are  two  smaller  doorwa}s,  leading  to  the  two  lateral  chambers 
behind.  These  doorways  are  of  usual  arched  construction  and  do  not 
reach  to  the  spring  of  the  chamber  arch,  but  above  each,  in  the  soffit 
slppe,  are  sub-trefoil  openings,  corresponding  closely  with  those  in  the 
Palace.  They  are  5  or  6  feet  wide  at  the  base  and  about  6  feet  high. 
The  vestibule  walls  have  the  usual  beam  holes  above,  cord  hold- 
ers at  the  offset  of  the  vault  and  at  the  sides  of  the  doorways,  square 
openings  between  the  doorways,  and  tau-shaped  perforations  in  the 
end  walls. 

An  examination  of  the  remnants  of  pillars  and  antae  fronts  show 
that  they  were  decorated  with  stucco  reliefs,  as  in  other  buildings. 
The  vestibule  extends  the  full  length  of  the  building,  and  its  vault  is 
about  g  feet  wide  and  20  feet  high.  The  walls  are  of  usual  thick- 
ness and  construction,  as  indicated  in  the  accompanying  section, 
Fig.  64. 

The  rear  vault  is  divided  into  a  long  middle  chamber  and  two 
narrow  lateral  chambers.  The  latter  are  entirely  plain,  save  for  tau 
openings,  while  the  former  contains  the  tablet  room  built  against  the 
back  wall  and  arched  and  roofed  as  are  the  buildings  proper  (see 
section).  The  doorway  of  the  room  is  broken  out  above  thus  destroy- 
ing all  but  the  outer  extremities  of  the  stucco  devices  that 
decorated  the  entablature.      The  spaces  at  the  sides  of  the   doorway 


Feb.  1897. 


AiN'ciENT  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


201 


Fig    64. 


Transverse  Section  Through  Middle  of  Temple  of   the  Cross,  Show- 
ing Perspective  of  East  Half  of  Building. 


The  wooden  lintels  and  portions  of  the  facade  are  restored, 

a.  Stairway  facing  south. 

b.  Pillar  (restored)  separating  middle  and  east  entrance. 

c.  East  end  of  front  vault  or  vestibule. 

d.  Doorway  to  east  anteroom. 

e.  Great  doorway  connecting  front  and  back  vaults. 
/.  Doorway  to  tablet  chamber,  lintel  restored. 

fC.  East  wall  of  tablet  chamber. 

h.  Former  position  of  tablet  of  the  Cross. 

i.  Arch  brace  of  masonry. 

j.  Ceiling  stones  of  doorway  arch. 

k.  Partition  wall  separating  sanctuary  from  east  anteroom. 

/.  .Steps  (projecting  stones)  for  ascending  through  openings  in  middle  Hoor  and  roof. 

m,  m.  Middle  floor  and  roof  of  comb. 


202  Field  Columbian  Mlskum— Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

show  the  roughened  plaster  beds  from  which  the  two  sculptured  tab- 
lets, probably  those  now  set  in  the  church  wall  at  Santo  Domingo 
del  Palenque,  were  torn  away. 

The  back  wall  in  like  manner  indicates  the  position  of  the  tablet 
of  the  Cross,  now  preserved,  the  main  part  in  the  Aluseo  Nacional, 
Mexico,  and  the  smaller  section  in  the  National  ^Museum  at  Washing- 
ton. The  floor  space  of  the  tablet  room  is  6  by  lo  feet.  The  height 
of  the  walls  is  6  feet  3  inches,  and  of  the  vault — which  inclines  inward 
on  all  sides,  and  with  a  very  slight  curve — is  8  feet  10  inches. 

The  profile  of  the  roof  of  this  building  is  seen  in  the  section.  Fig. 
64.  The  lower  cornice  (the  eaves)  is  very  bold,  projecting  24  inches 
on  the  under  side,  and  consists  of  tAvo  members  both  sloping  back- 
ward on  the  outer  face  with  the  pitch  of  the  roof.  The  lower  roof 
space  slopes  (approximately)  with  the  vault  within  and  shows  traces 
of  rich  stucco  decoration.  The  upper  molding  and  the  roof  slope 
above  are  narrow,  and  a  level  space,  18  inches  wide,  surrounds  the 
base  of  the  roof-comb. 

The  roof-comb  is  a  most  striking  feature,  and,  when  covered  with 
its  intricate  and  elegant  stucco  designs,  must  have  presented  a  most 
unique  and  attractive  appearance.  It  is  8  feet  wide  at  the  base,  36 
feet  long,  18  feet  high,  and  6  feet  wide  at  the  top.  The  walls  are 
from  2  feet  to  2  feet  6  inches  thick  and  inclose  two  narrow  galleries,, 
of  usual  construction  and  prcTfile,  one  above  the  other  and  extending 
the  full  length  of  the  comb.  The  ends  are  open.  The  walls  are  per- 
forated in  a  much  varied  manner  and  served  to  support  the  decora- 
tions which  were  fixed  to  them,  as  in  the  Temple  of  the  Sun  already 
described.  The  accompanN'ing  section  shows  the  character  of  the 
masonry  and  profile,  and  indicates  the  position  of  a  number  of 
projecting  stone  steps,  b}'  mea,as  of  which  it  is  possible  to  ascend 
through  square  openings  in  floor  and  roof  masonry  to  the  level  roof. 
The  lattice  wall  is  carefully  built,  for  the  most  part  of  small  stones, 
though  large  slabs  are  used  where  necessar}-  as  sides  and  lintels  to  the 
openings.  The  corners  are  rounded  and  surfaces  are  generall}'  cov- 
ered with  plaster  which  has  a  light  salmon-gray  hue. 

TEMPLE  OF  THE  CERRO.  This  ruin  was  called  the  Temple  of 
the  Cross  No.  2  by  Charnay,  for  the  reason  that  it  contains  a  superb 
tablet  quite  perfect  in  every  particular  and  nearly  identical  with  that 
of  the  Temple  of  the  Cross.  It  is  in  a  somewhat  more  advanced 
state  of  demolition  than  the  better  known  temple,  and  is  placed  against 
the  base  of  the  cerro  or  hill  a  little  beyond  that  temple  and  facing  the 
Temple  of  the  Sun. 

It  is   seen  in   the   panorama  almost  behind  the   Temple  of  the 


f     ,'• 


1 


1 


\,  I 


'Ju\ 


"V 


<      ■•  I. 


o 


Feb.  1897.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  203 

Cross.  The  pyramid  is  perhaps  25  feet  hi^h  on  the  front  and  is  set 
against  the  hill  so  that  there  is  no  depression  behind.  The  facade, 
which  faces  west  35  to  40  degrees  north,  is  broken  down  so  com- 
pletely that  no  traces  of  the  pillars  or  antae  remain,  though  por- 
tions of  the  end  walls  still  stand,  and  the  back  wall  of  the  vestibule — ■ 
the  medial  wall  of  the  building — is  complete.  The  length  is  42  feet 
and  the  width  was  from  30  to  33  feet.  The  ground  plan  is  essentially 
the  same  as  in  the  other  members  of  the  group  and  the  walls  corre- 
spond in  thickness,  masonry  and  finish.  The  exterior  openings  were 
doubtless  three  in  number,  and  the  doorways  into  the  back  vault  are 
the  same  as  in  the  Temple  of  the  Cross.  The  doorway  at  the  left  has 
been  reduced  in  size  by  adding  a  thin  masonry  jamb  at  the  right,  and 
a  second  jamb  has  been  built  out  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  pas- 
sage, just  within  the  chamber,  thus  giving  a  narrow  and  crooked 
entrance.  Tau  openings,  cord  holders  and  beam  sockets  occur  as 
usual.  The  trefoil  openings  in  the  medial  wall  are  present,  but  differ 
somewhat  in  shape  from  other  examples,  the  upper  part  being  more 
constricted  laterally.  The  back  vault  is  divided  into  the  sanctuary  and 
two  narrow  side  rooms.  The  tablet  room  within  the  sanctuary  corre- 
sponds closely  with  that  of  the  Temple  of  the  Cross;  the  decorated 
entablature  is  broken  down  in  the  same  way,  and  the  tablets  that  for- 
merly faced  the  lateral  piers  or  antae  have  been  removed.  The  roof 
of  this  temple  is  considerably  broken  down  and  only  the  base  of  the 
roof-comb  remains. 

Beyond  this  temple  to  the  south,  and  set  in  like  manner  against 
the  base  of  the  cerro,  are  several  other  ruins  the  superstructures  of 
which  are  almost  wholly  destroyed. 

Before  passing  on  I  may  mention  the  occurrence  of  a  consider- 
able pile  of  ruins  situated  near  the  margin  of  the  terrace  in  front  of  the 
Temple  of  the  Cross  and  just  north  of  the  Temple  of  the  Sun.  It 
seems  to  have  comprised  two  or  three  somewhat  independent  struc- 
tures, and  traces  of  walls  are  visible. 

In  PI.  XXII  I  present  an  illustration  of  the  sanctuary  tablet  of 
the  Temple  of  the  Sun.  It  is  copied  from  a  Charnay  cast,  now  in  the 
Museum,  but  it  does  scant  justice  to  the  original  work.  In  design 
and  execution  this  specimen  is  not  equal  to  the  two  tablets  of  the 
Cross  but  it  will  serve  to  indicate  the  general  style  of  the  work.  The 
figures  of  priests  are  in  good  proportion  and  the  lines  are  refined  and 
expressive,  but  the  action  is  less  free  than  in  some  of  the  stucco 
groups  of  the  palace  pier  fronts. 

SUBTERRANEAN  WATERWAY.  This  is  one  of  the  unique  features 
of  the  ancient  city,  and  its  construction  was  an  undertaking  of  no  little 


204         FiKLD  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

magnitude.  The  stream  in  the  dry  season  is  hardh'  more  than  a 
playful,  sparkling  brook,  but  in  the  wet  season  it  must  become  a  for- 
midable torrent,  a  fact  well  attested  by  the  numerous  channels  over 
which  it  spreads  during  the  torrential  period  when  the  waters  fail  to 
find  their  way  into  the  aqueduct  at  the  upper  end.  A  motive  for  the 
building  of  this  tunnel  is  found  in  the  fact  that  the  stream  must  have 
been  destructive  to  the  terraces  on  which  the  buildings  stand  and  to 
such  other  constructions  as  happened  to  be  located  near  its  banks.  Per- 
haps an  equally  satisfactory  motive  may  be  found  in  the  circumstance 
that  during  periods  of  high  water  free  communication  between  the 
Palace  and  the  various  temples  to  the  east — probably  a  matter  of  great 
consequence — would  have  been  seriously  interfered  with.  The  upper 
end  is  now  clogged  and  entirely  hidden  by  stones,  but  the  indications 
are  that  the  opening  was  a  little  below  the  Temple  of  the  Beau  Relief. 
At  this  point  the  stream  disappears  gradually  through  its  bed  and 
issues  again  from  the  lower  end  of  the  arched  way  at  a  point 
almost  even  with  the  north  end  of  the  Palace  (see  panorama)  and 
about  lOo  feet  to  the  east  of  it.  Below  this  it  rattles  down  its  steep, 
rocky  bed,  passing  for  a  hundred  feet  or  more  between  remnants  of 
Cyclopean  appearing  walls.  The  archway,  a  section  of  which  appears 
in  Fig.  65,  is,  as  it  stands  to-day,  some  500  or  600  feet  in  length. 
Throughout  all  this  distance  the  stream  was  formerly  hidden  from 
view,  and  is  now  hidden  in  the  dr}-  season. 

There  has  been  some  discussion  as  to  the  course  of  this  arched 
wav,  and  I  entered  it  from  below  to  make  observations.  Compass 
bearings  were  taken  to  a  point  where  light  streamed  in  from  above, 
and  by  duplicating  these  observations  on  the  surface  the  opening  was 
located  opposite  the  middle  of  the  east  base  of  the  Palace  pyramid 
and  only  10  or  15  feet  away  (T,  Fig.  49).  The  surface  torrents  have 
here  torn  a  ragged  hole  in  the  ground  to  a  depth  of  4  or  5  feet,  expos- 
ing the  heavy  slabs  that  cover  the  archway  and  displacing  two  or  three 
in  such  a  way  that  an  opening  is  made  nearly  large  enough  for  a 
man  to  enter,  and  below,  at  a  depth  of  some  6  feet,  the  rushing  waters 
can  be  seen.  If  the  direction  continues  as  at  this  opening  for  20 
or  30  feet,  the  vault  passes  under  the  margin  of  the  terrace,  and 
possibl}',  farther  on,  it  may  pass  beneath  the  corner  of  the  Palace.  It 
is  not  wholly  improbable  that  a  passageway  may  some  day  be  found 
descending  from  the  interior  of  one  of  the  southern  buildings  to  the 
water.  I  regard  it  as  likely,  however,  that  the  arched  way  was 
built  to  get  rid  of  the  torrential  action  of  the  stream  rather  than  to 
secure  a  secret  means  of  water  supply.  The  course  of  the  channel  is 
indicated  approximately  on  the  accompanying  map  and  in  Fig.  49. 


Feb.  1897.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


205 


The  arch  is  well  built  of  irregular  stones,  often  of  large  size,  and 
is  founded  on  the  solid  but  uneven  limestone  surface.  The  walls  are 
fairly  even;  the  arch  is  of  the  usual  type,  and  at  intervals  of  30  or  40 
feet  stone  beams  are  set  across,  as  shown  in  the  section.  The  height 
at  the  lower  end  is  about  10  feet  and  the  width  7  feet, while  the  depth 
of  the  roof  from  the  surface  of  the  ground  is  from  4  feet  to  6  or  more. 


Fig.  65.     Section  of  Waterway  Arch.     Height  10  Feet. 

THE  BRIDGE.  The  existence  of  a  bridge  over  the  Otolum  has 
been  noticed  by  several  authors.  It  is  located  some  700  feet  below 
the  Palace  pyramid  and  is  upwards  of  30  feet  wide  and  about  40  feet 
long.  The  construction  is  apparently  the  same  as  in  the  long  water- 
way, and  indeed  the  latter  may  be  regarded  simply  as  a  wide  bridge, 
the  upper  end  of  which  has  been  choked  up  by  debris.  The  published 
illustration  of  the  arch  employed  in  the  lower  bridge  (Bancroft,  Vol. 
IV,  p.  343)  conveys  a  wrong  impression  of  its  character,  representing 
as  it  does  only  the  upper  part  of  the  vault,  the  lower  part  having  been 
obscured  by  a  pool  of  water  backed  up  from  a  dam  of  calcareous  tufa. 


2o6         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

The  full  arch  would,  without  doubt,  almost  exactly  duplicate  that  of 
the  long  tunnel  (Fig.  65),  as  well  as  that  of  the  buildings  of  Palenque. 
The  stones  are  better  cut  and  laid  in  this  arch  than  in  that  of  the  water- 
way above  because  they  represent  the  original  facing  of  the  structure, 
whereas  in  the  other  case  the  opening,  probably  originally  faced  in  like 
manner,  has  been  destroyed  by  floods.  In  the  illustration,  Fig.  66 
(upper  part  from  Bancroft,  lower  part  restored),  the  curve  or  sag  of 
the  soffit  lines  has  been  so  exaggerated  as  to  suggest  a  new  type  of 
structure. 


Fig.  66.     Bridge  Arch  Indicating  Probable  Character  of  Submerged  Portion. 

TOMBS.  The  evidence  is  sufficiently  strong  that  the  pyramids 
and  buildings  of  Palenque  were  devoted  in  some  measure  to  mor- 
tuary uses,  and  this,  too,  by  the  original  builders.  Such  use  would 
appear,  however,  to  be  secondary  if,  as  we  are  in  the  habit  of  assum- 
ing, the  temples  were  the  sanctuaries  of  deities, about  and  in  which  the 
various  rites  and  ceremonies  of  worship  were  carried  on.  Yet  the 
discovery  by  Del  Rio  of  evidences  of  a  burial  beneath  the  sanctuary 
floor  of  the  Temple  of  the  Cross  and  of  similar  evidences  by  Waldeck 
in  a  gallery  in  what  he  calls  the  Temple  of  the  Palace,  suggests  the 
possibility  that  the  whole  structure  in  such  cases  may  have  been 
erected  to  do  honor  to  some  ruler  or  religious  official  whose  remains 
occupied  a  vault  in  the  body  of  the  pyramid  or  were  consigned  to  the 
spot  over  which  the  inner  sanctuar}'  was  erected.  It  was  customary, 
evidently  to  build  small  tombs  in  the  sides  of  the  pyramids  as  it 
was  also  in  Yucatan  on  the  north  and  Oaxaca  in  the  west.  Specula- 
tions as  to  the  relation  of  these  mortuary  uses  to  the  main,  original 
function  of  the  structure  are,  however,  of  little  avail,  and  I  will  only 
pause  to  refer  to  the  results  of  our  excavations  in  the  pyramid  of  the 
Temple  of  the   Cross.      The  position   of  what  was  believed  to  be  a 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,   PL.  XXIII. 


[ 

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1-4  ^ 

"^^  m^         t 

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.  « 

1^ 

a 

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! 

^im      I  •' 


Articles  from  a  Tomb  in  the  Side  of  the  Pyramid  of  the  Temple  of  the  Cross. 
length  of  figure  7  inches. 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  207 

tomb  was  pointed  out  by  Mr.  Herman  Collier  of  Santo  Domingo  del 
Palenque,  and  Mr.  Thompson  spent  the  best  part  of  two  days  clear- 
ing out  the  small,  much  disturbed  chamber,  finding  traces  of  burials, 
and  recovering  a  very  interesting  set  of  votive  objects  and  articles  of 
personal  ornament,  illustrated  in  part  in  PI.  XXHI.  Mr.  Thompson's 
notes  on  his  work  are  as  follows: 

"  South  60  degrees  west  of  the  facade  and  about  two-thirds  down 
the  western  slope  of  the  pyramid  are  traces  of  a  number  of  tombs. 
The  changes  of  time  and  the  elements  have  left  these  tombs  buried 
beneath  the  general  debris  but  yet  quite  near  the  surface;  so  near  in 
fact  that  the  mere  clearing  away  of  the  superincumbent  vegetable 
mold  reveals  the  broken  stone  slabs  that  once  formed  part  of  the 
chamber  walls  or  roof. 

"The  row  of  tombs  examined  seems  to  have  been  placed  par- 
allel with  the  line  of  the  facade  of  the  temple,  and  my  idea  is 
that  when  the  mound  is  explored  in  a  thorough  manner  it  will  be 
found  that  there  were  several  tiers  of  tombs  and  that  they  existed  on 
more  than  one  side  of  the  mound.  I  got  this  idea  as  I  waded  through 
the  vegetable  mold,  by  seeing  the  familiar  fragments  of  burial  cases 
(stone  slabs)  on  other  sides  of  the  pyramid  and  also  above  the  tier  of 
tombs  encountered. 

"The  tomb  examined  was  built  into  the  side  of  the  pyramid  and 
formed  a  rectangular  room  6  feet  8  inches  long  by  6  feet  wide  and  7  feet 
high.  It  was  well  built  of  lime  material  and  stones  and  had  the  appear- 
ance of  having  been  once  smooth-finished  with  white  stucco.  Of  this 
stucco  hardly  a  vestige  now  remains  in  place,  but  the  floor  of  the 
tomb  was  covered  with  its  finely  comminuted  fragments.  The  roof 
was  vaulted  with  that  form  of  the  corbel  vault  known  as  the  Maya 
arch.  In  the  center  of  the  tomb  was  a  rectangular,  stone  burial-case, 
5  feet  long,  2  feet  wide  and  ij^  feet  high,  each  side  of  which  was 
formed  of  two  smooth-finished  stone  slabs,  each  2  inches  thick.  The 
inner  slabs  were  sunken  below  the  edges  of  the  outer  sufficiently  to 
allow  the  slab  that  served  as  a  cover  to  be  let  down  flush  with  the 
edges,  thus  forming  a  complete  though  simple  depositor}^  for  the 
dead. 

"The  top  of  the  burial-case  was  covered  with  debris  that  time  and 
dampness  had  hardened  into  a  compact  mass.  Carefully  clearing 
off  this  adherent  material  I  found  upon  the  exposed  surface  the  votive 
offerings  of  the  ancient  mourners,  consisting  of  a  small  broken  terra- 
cotta effigy  and  various  articles  of  personal  use.  As  indicated  by 
the  position  of  the  fragments,  the  terra-cottas  had  been  broken  pur- 
posely before  being  placed  within  the  tomb,  an  ancient  custom  that 
prevailed  to  some  extent  also  in  Yucatan. 


2o8         Field  Columbian   Mlsfum — Amhropolocv,  \'ol.  i. 

••  Lifting  the  heavy  top  I  found  the  remains  of  two  skeletons,  but 
so  utterly  decomposed  that  a  touch  destroyed  them.  One  was  lying 
upon  its  side  with  arms  and  knees  drawn  up  toward  the  chin.  The 
other  was  so  nearly  obhterated  by  the  action  of  water  entering  through 
joints  opened  in  the  case  by  some  disturbance  of  the  p\ramid 
base,  that  its  exact  position  could   not  be   ascertained." 

The  principal  object  recovered  is  a  little  terra-cotta  figure,  the 
arms  and  feet  of  which  have  disappeared.  It  is  strongly  modeled  in 
yellowish  clay,  the  surface  of  the  front  having  received  a  coat  of  red 
paint.  The  style  of  work  is  decidedh'  characteristic  of  Palenque;  the 
skull  is  represented  as  flattened  to  an  extraordinary  degree,  and  the 
upper  part  of  the  nose  and  the  space  between  the  brows  is  elevated 
into  a  vertical  ridge  which  possibly  represents  an  attached  ornament 
such  as  is  seen  in  some  of  the  mural  reliefs  and  in  the  limestone  tab- 
lets. There  is  a  picturesque  head-dress  composed  apparently  of 
flowing  feathers,  a  necklace  of  beads  and  large  ear-disks:  on  the  sur- 
faces of  the  latter  are  distinctlj'  seen  imprints  of  the  finger  tips  of  the 
potter.  The  body  is  decked  in  a  loin  cloth  looped  at  the  left  side 
and  falling  in  front  in  the  usual  manner.  Along  with  the  figure  were 
a  number  of  greenstone  beads — probably  of  jadeite,  and  a  spindle 
whorl,  or  bead,  of  ornamental  design  and  excellent  finish,  in  the  same 
material.  In  addition  there  w-ere  lance  heads,  a  large,  rudely  finished 
bone  bead,  a  small  and  exceptionally  perfect  obsidian  flake  knife  and 
some  bits  of  well  shaped  and  neatly  finished  earthen  cups. 

CALCAREOUS  DEPOSITS.  I  have  already  referred  to  the  remark- 
able calcareous  deposits  in  the  Palenque  buildings  and  in  the  channel 
of  the  Otolum.  The  climate  is  wet,  and  during  the  long  rainy  season 
water  is  constantly  penetrating  the  massive  limestone  masonry  of  the 
buildings,  dissolving  the  lime  and  depositing  it  in  sheets  over  the 
walls  and  in  patches  and  conical  masses  on  the  floors.  The  wall  sur- 
faces, the  ornaments,  and  for  that  matter  the  w^alls  themselves,  have 
thus  been  preserved  much  more  completely  than  would  otherwise 
have  been  the  case:  but  the  most  remarkable  phenomena  of  this  class 
are  the  deposits  in  the  channel  of  the  creek  below  the  ruins.  For 
quite  a  distance,  as  we  descend  the  steep  trails  from  Palenque.  the 
sound  of  cascades  is  -heard  filling  the  forest  with  plaintive  music.  The 
waters  of  the  stream,  flowing  down  through  the  forests,  become  charged 
with  \egetable  acids  and  dissolve  the  limestones  over  which  they 
pass.  The  calcareous  matter  thus  taken  up  is  deposited  again  farther 
down,  where  extended  cascades  furnish  the  conditions  necessary  to- 
precipitation.  Innumerable  pools  are  formed,  the  margins  of  which 
are  built  up  little  by  little  until  the  water  turns  to  one  side,    building 


FIELD  COLUMBIAN   MUSEUM. 


SKETCH  MAP  OF  PALENQUE. 


Pl.   XXV.      Panoramic  View  of   Palenque. 


^•>,  "^c 


PANORAMIC  VIEW  OF  PALENQUE. 


Feb.  1897. 


Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico— Holmes. 


2og 


other  basins  which  are  deserted  in  turn,  and  the  wide  channel  thus 
becomes  a  succession  of  terraces,  often  very  attractive  in  appearance. 
So  abundant  is  the  calcareous  matter  held  in  solution  that  everything^ 
touched  is  coated.  The  trees  are  overwhelmed  and  die;  the  stones 
in  the  stream  beds  grow  into  round  masses  and  join  one  to  another 
in  solid  bodies;  nuts  and  shells  and  all  hard  objects  are  encased  and 
become  the  nuclei  of  rounded  stones.  I  picked  up  numerous  round- 
ish pebbles  and  globular  masses  and  on  my  return,  suspecting  their 
true  character,  had  them  sawed  in  two  to  find  at  the  center  (Fig.  67) 
generally  a  land  shell  of  the  Bulimus  family  which  is  very  plentiful  in 
these  forests. 


Fig.  67.     Section  of  Calcareous  Nodule  Containing  Bulimus  Shell. 


2IO 


Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  \'ol.  i. 


Fig.  68.    Sketch  Map  of  Monte  Alban  and  Vicinity. 

Scale  about  i  mile  to  an  inch. 

A.  Great  plaza  occupying  middle  portion  of  the  main  summit  of    Monte  Alban:   north  and 
south  of  this  are  the  two  pyramid-crowned  terraces  (see  PL  XXVI). 

B.  Crest  of  the  Lesser  .Alban.    The  summit  quadrangle  appears  in  Fig.  6S. 

C.  Outer  quadrangle  of  the  lesser  ridge  from  which  the  panorama,  P!.  XXVL  was  made. 


RUINS  OF  OAXACA. 


INTRODUCTORY.  Until  very  recent  years  the  State  of  Oaxaca 
remained  much  isolated  from  the  world  at  large,  but  the  building  of  the 
Mexican  Southern  Railway  has  changed  all  this, and  now  the  section  is 
frequently  visited  by  students  who  find  a  fresh  and  fascinating  field 
for  investigation.  The  principal  occupants  of  the  Oaxacan  region  in 
ancient  times  were  known  as  Zapotecs  and  ]\Iiztecs,  and  the  popula- 
tion to-day  is  made  up  largel}^  of  their  descendants,  who  have  in  a 
shiftless,  squalid  way  adopted  more  or  less  fully  the  habits  of  life  and 
arts  of  the  whites.  The  native  culture  of  these  peoples  is  thought  to 
have  been  influenced  somewhat  decidedly  by  that  of  the  Nahuatl  race 
to  the  north:  but  in  many  respects  their  art  is  strongly  individualized, 
and  the  building  arts,  metal  work  and  ceramics,  on  which  the 
archeologist  must  chiefly  rely,  are  remarkable  for  the  originality  of 
many  of  their  features.  It  is  also  to  be  noted  that  within  Oaxaca 
there  are  very  decided  differences  in  the  art  remains  of  the 
different  sections,  thus  bespeaking  a  localization  of  cultures  and  peo- 
ples, due  in  some  measure  no  doubt  to  the  pronounced  and  varied 
physical  characters  of  a  country  abounding  in  great  valleys  sepa- 
rated by  lofty  ridges  and  almost  impassable  mountain  ranges. 

The  city  of  Oaxaca,  which  has  a  population  of  some  30,000  souls, 
is  150  miles  south  of  Vera  Cruz  and  30  or  40  miles  south  of  the  con- 
tinental divide.  It  occupies  the  mountain  bordered  valley  in  which 
the  Rio  Verde  takes  its  rise.  This  stream,  after  passing  Oaxaca, 
flows  50  miles  south.  50  west,  and  then  40  or  50  miles  south  again 
into  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

About  Oaxaca  many  of  the  important  architectural  remains  are 
found  on  the  mountain  tops,  and  one  soon  comes  to  recognize  the 
notched  profiles  of  the  ridges  and  peaks  that  border  the  valley  as 
being  due  to  the  strangely  directed  enterprise  of  the  ancient  inhabit- 
ants. The  feeling  of  surprise  induced  by  this  discovery  is  followed 
by  one  of  amazement  as  the  real  nature  and  extent  of  the  work  dawns 
upon  the  mind.  As  the  explorer  climbs  the  slopes  and  picks  his  way 
from  summit  to  summit,  he  is  fairl}'  dazed  by  the  vast  array  of  pyra- 
mids and  terraces,  which  not  onl}^  crown  the  heights  but  overspread 

211 


212  Field  Ccmamhiax   Miskim — Ax  ihkopoi.ogv,  Vol.    i. 

the  steep  slopes,  destroying  traces  of  natural  contour  and  making  the 
mountains  actual  works  of  art.*  From  the  massive  ramparts  of  these 
mountain  cities  one  gazes  down  into  the  blue  and  distant  vallej^s, 
where  the  present  cities  and  towns  appear  as  mere  patches  of  white 
and  pink  set  in  fringes  of  green.  M}'  hurriedly  made  panoramic 
sketches  will  aid  these  brief  descriptions  in  conveying  a  definite 
notion  of  the  countr}^  and  the  ruins. 

Aside  from  these  highland  cities  there  were  doubtless  man}'  low- 
land towns  belonging  to  the  same  period,  but  cultivation  and  modern 
building  have  greatly  accelerated  their  destruction.  There  are 
numerous  mounds  in  the  valley  about  Oaxaca  which,  though  much 
reduced  in  height  and  changed  from  the  original  form,  show  the  same 
general  characters  and  arrangement  as  do  the  mountain  remains. 

RUINS  OF  THE  LESSER  ALBAN. 


From  the  roof  of  my  hotel  in  Oaxaca,  with  Volume  IV  of  Ban- 
croft's great  work  in  my  hands,  I  scanned  the  surrounding  highlands 
with  the  hope  of  identifying  Monte  Alban,  the  fortified  mountain  said 
to  lie  to  the  westward  of  the  city  from  half  a  mile  to  five  miles  away 
according  to  the  estimate  of  various  explorers.  There  rose  to  the 
south  and  beyond  the  river  the  haz}^  face  of  a  mountainous  ridge  with 
uneven  profile,  that  would  answer  the  descriptions  given  sufficiently 
well,  but  there  were  no  signs  by  which  it  could  be  identified  as  IMonte 
Alban — the  white  mountain.  There  were  other  ranges  to  the  right 
and  left,  and  just  behind  the  front  ridge  appeared  the  summits  of  a 
lofty  profile  that  seemed  to  be  many  miles  away.  I  noted  the  front 
ridge  which  rises  from  the  bank  of  the  river  just  south  of  the  town 
and  a  mile  or  more  away,  first  in  a  gentle  slope  to  a  slight  shoulder 
on  which  were  mound-like  humps,  and  then  again  by  a  steeper  incline 
to  the  main  crest.  Beyond  this  with  various  risings  and  fallings  it 
extends  off  toward  the  west,  apparently  connecting  with  the  highland 
behind.  The  face  toward  the  city  is  very  steep  and  uniform,  broken 
only  b}'  inferior,  rib-like  ridges  and  shallow  gullies  which  extend 
from  the  crest  to  the  base.  The  slopes  are  for  the  most  part  bare 
and  altogether  parched,  being  diversified  only  by  occasional  patches 
of  scrubby  trees  clinging  to  the  more  rugged  portions  of  the  surface. 
I  resolved  to  climb  this  ridge  and  take  a  survey  of  the  region.  Its 
crest  is  at  B,  on  the  accompanying  map,  Fig.  68. 

*The  recent  discoveries  of  Mr.  Wm.  Nevin  in  the  adjoining  state  of  Guerrero,  directly  west 
of  Monte  Alban,  indicate  the  continuance  or  repetition  of  remains  of  the  peculiar  character  here 
described.  Many  square  miles  of  the  crists  and  slopes  of  the  mountains  are  buried  in  the  ruins 
of  dwellings  and  temples. 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  213 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  I  crossed  the  river,  picking  my 
way  along  the  crowded  highway  where  I  was  tempted  to  tarry  among 
the  picturesque  horde  of  native  men,  women  and  children,  on  their 
way  to  market,  some  on  foot,  others  astride  donkeys  with  great  paniers 
filled  with  no  end  of  farm  produce  and  marketable  wares;  and  others  in 
wonderful  carts  with  strangely  yoked  steers  and  marvelous  loads  —  the 
whole  affording  more  picturesque  subjects  for  camera  and  painter's 
brush  than  I  had  ever  seen. 

Crossing  the  river,  now  carrying  but  little  water,  I  reached  the 
east  end  of  the  mountain  ridge  half-a-mile  beyond,  and  turning  to  the 
right  out  of  the  road  began  the  ascent.  At  an  elevation  of  some  300 
feet  the  first  break  in  the  profile  was  reached — an  abrupt  shoulder, 
nearly  level  for  a  few  hundred  feet  though  quite  narrow.  Here  there 
are  numerous  traces  of  ancient  occupation,  and  a  group  of  low  mounds 
occupies  the  outer  point.  The  principal  mound,  some  60  feet  long 
and  25  feet  wide,  stands  on  the  outer  margin.  Its  outer  slopes  are 
long,  connecting  with  the  mountain  incline  below,  while  on  the  inner 
side  it  is  not  more  than  10  feet  high.  It  has  undoubtedly  been  the 
substructure  of  a  building,  and  the  margins  of  a  cement  floor  outcrop 
from  the  sides  near  the  crest.  Standing  on  this  pile  and  facing  the 
mountain,  we  observe  a  depressed  space  a  hundred  feet  square  bor- 
dered by  a  second  mound  on  the  north  and  low  ridges  on  the  south 
and  west;  next  this  is  a  flattish  space,  some  80  or  go  feet  wide,  and 
beyond  still  a  succession  of  low,  narrow  terraces  terminating  against 
the  rocky  rise  that  leads  to  the  summit.  It  is  clear  that  the  four 
outer  mounds  are  the  remnants  of  structures  arranged  about  a  court 
forming  a  quadrangle,  but  every  part,  save  the  two  principal  piles,  has 
long  been  under  cultivation,  and  it  is  hard  to  say  just  what  part  of  the 
terracing,  everywhere  visible  about  the  mounds  and  extending  down 
the  slopes  and  occupying  every  available  bit  of  space  around  the 
precipitous  faces  of  the  mountain,  is  of  the  ancient  time;  but  that  the 
work  is  in  the  main  prehistoric  is  fully  shown  by  the  almost  universal 
presence  of  broken  earthenware,  the  gray,  elaborately  modeled  figure 
vases  so  characteristic  of  Zapotec  culture  prevailing  to  a  large  extent. 

Leaving  the  shoulder  and  its  dessicated  garden  beds,  I  passed  up 
the  rocky  incline  some  400  feet  to  the  summit,  which  I  found  sur- 
rounded by  terraces  and  crowned  by  ruins.  A  well  preserved  quad- 
rangle occupies  the  outer  point  (in  the  foreground  of  the  panorama, 
PI.  XXVI),  and  from  the  outer  pyramid  a  superb  view  is  obtained  of 
the  valley  and  its  cities  and  towns  spread  out  below.  The  super- 
structures are  entirely  removed  from  the  oblong  mounds,  which  appear 
to  have  been  from  12   to   20   feet   in   height,  60  or  70  feet  long,  and 


214         Field  Columbian  Mlseu.m — -Anthropologv,  \^ol.    i. 

20  or  30  feet  wide — summit  measurement — and  inclose  a  depressed 
area  fulh'  100  feet  square.  The  mounds  are  well  rounded  and  much 
broken  down:  and  in  places  where  the  hearting  is  exposed  it  is  seen 
to  consist  of  stones  and  earth  somewhat  irregularly  thrown  together. 
At  the  surface  some  s\-stem  was  observed  in  laving  up  the  stones,  and 
traces  of  cement  floors  are  seen  about  the  summits.  From  the  outer 
mound  several  terraces  extend  down  the  slope,  but  the  sides  of  the 
ridge  are  steep  and  rock}-. 

Turning  to  the  west  we  look  along  the  ridge  and  observe  its 
somewhat  sinuous  and  uneven  crest  (see  panorama),  and  find  that 
every  part  is  occupied  by  ruins  and  terraces,  the  rounded  mounds 
arranged  in  quadrangles  crowning  all  the  prominences.  The  crest  is 
narrow,  rarely  exceeding  100  feet  in  width,  and  its  level  spaces  are 
shaped  into  a  series  of  rude  terraces  which  rise  and  fall  with  the  pro- 
file; all  of  these  are  now  under  cultivation,  the  industrious  natives 
scratching  up  every  available  square  rod  of  the  rocky  soil  to  plant 
their  corn.  A  slight  spur  of  the  ridge  extends  out  toward  the  city  and 
terminates  a  few  hundred  feet  below  in  a  shoulder  like  that  encoun- 
tered at  the  east  end;  this  is  occupied  b}'  remnants  of  buildings  in 
the  usual  quadrangular  arrangement. 

The  appearance  of  this  ruin-covered  ridge,  as  seen  from  the  outer 
mound,  is  shown  in  the  accompanj'ing  panorama,  PI.  XXVI.  The 
crest  extends  a  mile  awa\^  to  the  west,  connecting  bv  a  low  saddle 
with  a  great  mountain  crest  beyond.  This  latter  mountain,  at  the 
nearest  point  nearl}-  two  miles  away,  was  readily  recognized  as  the 
true  Monte  Alban,  and  I  was  much  impressed  with  its  grandeur,  the 
effect  of  height  being  greatl}'  enhanced  b}'  the  haz}'  condition  of  the 
atmosphere.  The  summit  appeared  strangel}'  serrated,  but  at  first  it 
did  not  occur  to  me  that  these  irregularities  were  due  to  the  sj'stem 
of  artificial  structures  with  which  it  is  crowned. 

In  making  the  sketch  for  the  panorama  I  assumed  a  point  of  view 
that  would  bring  the  quadrangle  of  the  east  end  of  the  near  crest — 
the  Lesser  Alban  as  it  is  called  for  convenience — in  the  foreground. 
The  river  appears  at  the  base  of  the  slope  at  the  right  and  on  its 
farther  bank  are  the  upper  suburbs  of  the  city,  while  be3'ond  are  the 
lofty  summits  of  the  continental  divide:  and  extending  to  the  north- 
west is  the  valley  along  which  the  railway  descends  to  the  cit\-. 

Following  the  crest  toward  the  west,  traces  of  several  structures 
were  encountered,  and  on  the  first  high  summit,  some  2,000  feet  from 
the  outer  end,  stands  the  best  preserved  ruin  of  the  series  (G).  It 
consists  of  the  remains  of  four  structures  occup3-ing  the  entire  crest, 
and  inclosing  a  court  in  the  center  of  which  is  a  pile  of  debris  mark- 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


215 


ing  the  site  of  a  shrine.  The  lateral  pair  are  mere  ridges  represent- 
ing oblong  structures  that  once  overlooked  the  steep  mountain  sides; 
while  the  crosswise  pair  are  quite  bold  in  outline,  the  summits  meas- 
uring some  60  feet  in  length  and  20  feet  in  width.  These  mounds 
(Fig.  6g)  have  been  dug  into  by  explorers  or  treasure  hunters  and  are 
of  the  usual  composition,  with  traces  of  cement  floors  at  several  levels. 
Though  occupying  these  irregular  mountain  crests  the  buildings  have 
as  a  rule  been  oriented  with  much  care. 


Fig,  69.     Crest  Quadrangle  of  the  Lesser  Alban. 

a.  Court' with  traces  of  central  shrine  (?■). 

6.  Eastern  mound  or  pyramid  with  excavation  pits. 

c.  Western  mound. 

d.  Terrace  with  central  knoll. 

Extending  out  from  the  base  of  the  eastern  mound  is  a  terrace 
nearly  a  hundred  feet  square,  in  the  middle  of  which  is  a  small  con- 
ical   mound.      The  mountain  slopes  are  very  steep  at  the  sides,   as 


2i6  Field  Columbiax    Muselm — Axthropologv,  Vol.  i. 

indicated  in  the  panorama.  Westward  of  this  group  there  are  but 
slight  traces  of  ancient  buildings.  There  is  one  deep  saddle  afford- 
ing a  wide  flattish  space  which  has  a  few  low  mounds.  This  spot  has 
evidentl}'  been  extensively  occupied  for  dwelling,  as  the  soil  is  filled 
with  stone  implements  and  remnants  of  earthen  vases:  there  are 
also  rubbing  stones,  mortars,  hammer-stones  and  fiints.  Beyond  the 
saddle  is  a  single  summit  of  conical  form,  the  crest  of  which  is  trun- 
cated and  bears  traces  of  buildings  and  dwelling.  From  this  point 
there  is  a  descent  of  several  hundred  feet  to  the  pass  that  partially 
separates  the  lesser  ridge  from  an  outstanding  northeastern  spur  of 
Monte  Alban — as  shown  somewhat  plainly  in  the  panorama.  From 
the  conical  summit  1  returned  again  along  the  ridge  and  reached  the 
city  at  night-fall. 

The  eastern  end  of  the  ridge  exhibits  outcroppings  of  a  gnarled 
limestone  which  may  be  of  silurian  age.  but  the  middle  and  western 
parts  are  composed  mainly  of  quartzites  passing  apparently  into 
gneisses.  The  strata  seem  to  dip  toward  the  north  at  a  high  angle. 
The  onl}-  example  of  dressed  stone  seen  on  this  ridge  was  a  mass  of 
limestone,  near  the  east  end,  which  had  been  leveled  off  and  smoothed 
near  the  ground,  giving  a  table-like  surface  some  5  feet  in  diameter. 


RUINS  OF  MONTE  ALBAN. 


The  visit  to  ]\Ionte  Alban  was  the  most  romantic  feature  of  my 
trip  to  southern  Mexico.  Having  secured  a  horse  I  crossed  the  river 
and,  passing  beyond  the  end  of  the  ridge  already  described,  soon 
reached  a  village  called  San  Pablo;  from  this  point  I  turned  to  the 
right  and  shaped  my  course  up  the  gentle  slopes  toward  the  middle  of 
Monte  Alban  which  rose  as  a  great  wall  to  the  west  (see  panorama, 
PI.  XXVI).  Turning  to  the  left  when  near  the  base  of  the  steeper 
slopes,  I  climbed  the  extreme  southern  spur  of  the  mountain  which 
is  about  five  miles  from  the  alameda  in  Oaxaca.  I  passed  up  over 
alternating  narrow  cultivated  terraces  and  outcropping  ledges  of  lime- 
stone; the  latter,  interbedded  with  quartzites,  form  the  body  of  the 
mountain  and  dip  slightly  to  the  north,  the  outcrops  along  the  steep 
sides  giving  the  mountain  a  peculiar,  ribbed  effect.  On  this  outer 
point,  seen  at  the  extreme  left  in  the  panorama,  I  began  to  encounter 
small  mounds,  which  represent  ancient  buildings,  beside  many  indica- 
tions of  dwelling.  On  the  second  level,  300  or  400  feet  higher 
and  but  little  below  the  main  summit,  the  first  well-preserved  quad- 
rangular ruin-group  was  encountered.    It  is  seen  on  the  sketch  map  at 


Feb.  1897.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  217 

H,  and  consists  of  four  oblong  mounds  arranged  about  a  court,  in 
the  center  of  which  is  the  usual  small  conical  pile  of  debris.  The 
northern,  southern  and  western  sides  are  represented  by  low,  rounded 
ridges  of  debris,  the  north  ridge  being  about  8  feet  high.  The  eastern 
structure  is  a  pyramid,  nearly  25  feet  high  and  with  steep  sides. 
The  main  level  of  the  summit  is  about  40  feet  square,  and  is  occupied 
by  a  heap  of  debris  representing  a  superstructure — a  house  or  temple — 
set  back  toward  the  east  side.  The  cement  t^oor  is  visible  at  the 
edges,  and  traces  of  stone  walls  are  seen  all  around.  The  remnants  of 
what  appears  to  have  been  a  stairway  occur  on  the  sides  next  the  court, 
which  is  about  100  feet  square.  This  ruin  is  on  a  wide  cultivated  ter- 
race, supported  by  a  succession  of  inferior  terraces  encircling  the  prom- 
ontory on  three  sides.  Small  mound-like  remnants  of  buildings 
are  seen  on  all  hands.  Passing  over  the  cornfield  to  the  northwest  I 
reached,  at  a  distance  of  500  feet,  a  second  group  of  mounds  that 
includes  one  typical  quadrangle.  The  court  of  the  quadrangle  is 
some  80  or  go  feet  square,  and  has  the  usual  low  mound  in  the  center. 
The  south  member  is  20  feet  high  by  45  feet  long  and  40  feet 
wide,  and  has  the  ruin  of  a  superstructure — a  mere  heap  of  stones— on 
its  summit.  The  other  sides  are  from  5  to  10  feet  high  and  are 
rounded  ridges  representing  ruined  houses.  At  the  southeast  corner 
of  the  quadrangle,  rises  a  mound  showing  considerable  loose  stone 
all  over  its  sides.  It  is  a  few  feet  higher  than  the  south  member 
of  the  quadrangle,  which  it  approximates  closely  in  horizontal  dimen- 
sions. At  the  north  base  is  a  deep  depression  separating  the  east 
ridge  of  the  quadrangle  from  a  lower  ridge  at  that  end.  Rising 
from  this  at  the  north  there  is  a  terrace  about  80  feet  square  support- 
ing the  much  reduced  remains  of  a  building.  The  mountain  ridge, 
here  quite  narrow,  falls  off  rapidly  in  terraces  on  both  sides.  Follow- 
ing the  ridge  to  the  north  some  300  feet,  still  over  a  narrowing  field, 
another  quadrangle  of  usual  plan  and  prop)ortions  was  observed. 
The  buildings  are  represented  by  ridges  of  stone  and  earth,  which 
are  at  no  point  over  10  feet  high. 

One  hundred  feet  farther  on  I  ascended  the  face  of  a  terrace, 
upwards  of  40  feet  high,  which  crosses  the  ridge  at  right  angles,  the  left 
margin  following  the  oblique  trend  of  the  mountain  side,  and  the 
right  descending  to  a  marginal  terrace  which  continues  north  for  a  long 
distance  on  the  east  side.  Crossing  this  terrace  and  some  low  mounds 
I  ascended  a  second  terrace  10  feet  high  and  came  in  view  of  the 
southern  member  of  the  great  central  group  of  remains.  The  latter  is  a 
pyramid  more  than  400  feet  square  and  40  or  45  feet  high,  supporting 
two  pyramids  on  its  summit.    The  slopes  of  this  great  mass  are  pre- 


2i8         Field  Columbian   Musklm — Anthropology,  \'ol.    i. 

cipitous  all  around  and  covered  with  trees  and  the  debris  of  fallen 
walls.  I  climbed  the  south  face  by  a  steep  pathway,  leading 
ni}'  horse  up  with  much  difficult}-.  From  the  main  level  I  ascended 
the  central  pyramid,  which  is  the  crowning  feature  of  this  part  of  the 
crest,  and  obtained  a  magnificent  panorama  of  the  mountain  and 
the  surrounding  vallej's  and  ranges.  Turning  to  the  north  the 
view  along  the  crest  was  bewildering  in  the  extreme.  In  vears 
of  travel  and  mountain  work  I  had  met  with  many  great  surprises — 
such  as  that  experienced  on  emerging  suddenly  from  the  forest-cov- 
ered plateaus  of  Arizona  into  a  full  view  of  the  Grand  Caiion  of  the 
Colorado,  or  of  obtaining  unexpected  glimpses  of  startling  Alpine 
panoramas — but  nothing  had  ever  impressed  me  so  deeply  as  this.  The 
crest  of  Alban,  one-fourth  of  a  mile  wide  and  extending  nearh"  a  mile 
to  the  north,  lay  spread  out  at  my  feet.  The  surface  was  not 
covered  with  scattered  and  obscure  piles  of  ruins  as  I  had  ex- 
pected, but  the  whole  mountain  had  been  remodeled  by  the  hand 
of  man  until  not  a  trace  of  natural  contour  remained.  There 
was  a  vast  s\'stem  of  level  courts  inclosed  by  successive  terraces 
and  bordered  by  pyramids  upon  pyramids.  Even  the  sides  of  the 
mountain  descended  in  a  succession  of  terraces,  and  the  whole  crest, 
separated  by  the  hazy  atmosphere  from  the  dimh-  seen  valle\-& 
more  than  a  thousand  feet  below,  and  isolated  completely  from 
the  blue  range  beyond,  seemed  suspended  in  mid  air.  All  was 
pervaded  by  a  spirit  of  mystery,  solitude  and  utter  desolation  not 
relieved  b}-  a  sound  of  life  or  a  single  touch  of  local  color.  It  seemed 
indeed  a  phantom  cit}',  and  separated  as  it  is  by  half  a  dozen  centuries 
from  the  modern  city— barely  traceable  as  a  fleck  of  white  in  the 
deep  vallev  bevond  the  saddle  of  the  Lesser  Alban — furnishes  a 
tempting  field  for  speculation. 

I  have  endeavored  to  conve}'  some  notion  of  this  remarkable  scene 
in  the  panorama  (PI.  XX\'II)  which  is  constructed  from  a  sketch 
made  from  the  summit  of  the  central  pyramid  seen  in  the  foreground 
of  the  view\  The  point  of  view  assumed  is  indicated  by  a  cross  in  the 
profile  view  of  the  mountain  (PJ.  XX\  I),  and  also  by  a  cross  on  the 
accompanying  map  (PI.  XX\TII).  In  the  foreground  is  the  great 
terrace,  referred  to  above,  crowned  by  its  two  pyramids,  one  placed 
at  the  southeast  corner  and  the  other,  the  main  mound,  situated  a  little 
to  the  left  of  the  center. 

Behind  this  group  is  the  central  feature  of  the  ancient  city. 
a  vast  court  or  plaza,  a  level,  sunken  field  600  feet  wide  and 
1,000  feet  long,  inclosed  by  terraces  and  pyramids  and  having  a 
line  of  four    pyramids    ranged    along   its    center.      The    great   lines 


Feb.  1897.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  219 

of  mounds  at  the  right  and  left  border  the  abrupt  margins  of 
the  mountain,  and  beyond  is  the  most  astonishing  feature  of  all — a 
broad  terrace  600  or  more  feet  square,  within  which  is  a  sunken  court 
surrounded  b}^  numerous  pyramids  that  rise  in  a  culminating  group 
at  the  distant  right.  Beyond  this  at  the  left  are  other  groups  of 
mounds,  and  still  other  groups  occupy  the  spurs  and  subordinate  crests 
into  which  the  north  end  of  the  mountain  is  broken.  At  the  left  and 
farther  away  are  two  independent,  rounded,  mountain  crests  crowned 
by  groups  of  mounds.  At  the  right  is  the  extreme  west  end  of  the 
Lesser  Alban,  and  beyond  and  far  below  are  caught  glimpses  of  the 
valley  with  its  villages  and  farms;  and  rising  beyond  this  are  the  lofty 
ranges  of  the  continental  divide,  so  obscured  by  the  haze  of  the  dry 
season  that  their  serrate  profiles  can  hardly  be  made  out. 

It  was  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  I  finished  the  sketch, 
and  when  night  came  on  I  was  in  the  midst  of  the  great  group  at  the 
north  end,  having  climbed  in  the  meantime  eighteen  of  the  forty  or  fifty 
pyramids  included  in  the  view,  and  having  made  the  accompanying 
sketch  map  and  various  drawings  both  general  and  detailed.  During 
the  day  I  encountered  but  one  man,  who  came  up  over  one  of  the 
terraces,  shook  hands  and  passed  on,  but  managed  while  my  back  was 
turned  to  skillfull}'  extract  a  valuable  pistol  from  my  saddle.  I  may 
add  that  my  horse  was  of  little  service,  and  hindered  rather  than  aided 
me,  so  that  most  of  the  work  was  accomplished  on  foot.  Owing  to 
the  necessary  haste  I  cannot  claim  for  my  drawings  and  descriptions 
more  than  approximate  accuracy,  though  it  will  be  found,  I  am  sure, 
that  they  give  correct  general  impressions.  In  drawing  the  panorama 
the  mantle  of  foliage  enveloping  many  of  the  forms  has  been  largely 
ignored,  and  the  outlines  are  given  somewhat  more  firmly  than  they 
appear  in  the  reality,  yet  there  is  no  attempt  at  restoration. 

The  group  of  structures  occupying  the  foreground  in  the  panorama 
forms  the  southern  member  of  the  great,  composite  quadrangle  of 
Monte  Alban.  The  substructure  is  a  low  truncated,  pj^amid  upwards 
of  400  feet  square  at  the  base,  with  regular  though  now  slightly  broken 
slopes  rising  at  a  steep  angle  to  a  height  of  40  feet  or  more.  The 
summit  is  quite  level  and  approximates  300  feet  square. 

The  pyramid  occupying  the  southeast  corner  is  80  feet  square 
at  the  base  and  perhaps  60  feet  square  on  the  summit.  The  height 
is  about  25  feet,  and  the  outer  slopes  are  nearly  continuous  with 
the  slopes  of  the  substructure.  The  presence  of  piles  of  debris  cov- 
ering the  crest  and  sides  makes  it  apparent  that  the  building  was 
faced  with  stone — not  dressed,  however,  as  this  quartzite  is  too 
hard  to  be  cut  readily  with  stone  tools. 


220         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropologv,  \^ol.    i. 

This  pyramid  has  been  extensively  tunneled  by  explorers  and 
treasure  hunters:  passages  have  been  opened  entirely  through  the  base 
of  the  pile  both  from  east  to  west  and  from  north  to  south,  and  a 
great  well  descends  from  the  center  of  the  summit  to  the  intersection 
of  the  tunnels.  The  walls  of  these  excavations  are  entirely  uneven, 
presenting  no  indication  of  original  openings  or  chambers,  notwith- 
standing the  impression  given  by  Dupaix  in  various  illustrations  that 
the  galleries  pertained  to  the  original  construction  and  were  well  built 
and  faced  with  stone.  In  the  sides  of  the  excavations  beds  and 
masses  of  loose  stones — now  coarse,  now  mixed  with  finer  materials — 
alternate  with  beds  and  lenticular  masses  of  adobe  and  cement-like 
deposits  of  light  color,  the  latter  occurring  in  cases  in  such  thin  and 
level  layers  as  to  suggest  successive  floor  levels. 

The  central  pyramid  is  not  far  from  loo  feet  square  at  the  base, 
and  is  25  or  30  feet  high.  The  sides  are  steep  and  but  little  broken 
down,  and  the  summit,  which  is  covered  by  the  debris  of  a  building, 
is  something  like  50  by  60  feet  in  extent.  This  mound  has  been 
tunneled  from  north  to  south,  and  its  composition  is  similar  to  that 
of  the  companion  structure.  The  idea  of  the  quadrangle  seems  to  have 
been  in  the  minds  of  the  builders  of  these  piles;  the  space  to  the 
east  of  this  central  mound  and  north  of  the  corner  mound  is  inclosed 
on  the  north  b}'  a  line  of  debris,  probably  representing  a  building, 
and  in  the  center  is  a  small  mound  such  as  characterize  nearly  all  the 
courts.  A  somewhat  novel  feature  of  this  group  is  a  low  ridge  of 
debris  about  25  feet  wide,  and  10  feet  high  in  places,  extending  along 
the  northern  margin  of  the  main  terrace.  It  is  interrupted  for  a 
short  space  near  the  middle  (the  landing  of  the  stairway  perhaps) 
and  is  composed  largely  of  stones,  portions  of  a  strong  stone  wall 
appearing  in  places. 

Descending  this  massive  structure  at  the  northeast  corner,  I 
encountered  near  the  base  portions  of  the  ancient  facing:  this  consists 
of  large  blocks  of  stone,  sj^stematicalh'  laid  up,  on  which  are  seen 
various  bas-relief  sculptures.  The  principal  figure  exposed  to  view  is 
a  serpent  carved  in  low  relief;  the  head,  occupying  a  block  2  by  3 
feet  square,  is  crowned  with  an  elaborate  radiating  crest,  and  a  long 
coiled  tongue  extends  from  the  mouth.  The  snout  is  somewhat 
porcine  in  character,  being  rounded  and  turned  up  slightly  at  the 
point.  The  style  of  delineation  is  entirely  distinct  from  that  charac- 
terizing representations  of  the  ]Ma3'a  serpent.  The  rattles  of  the 
reptile's  tail  appear  on  a  neighboring  block.  The  stone — apparently 
a  quartzite — was  too  difficult  to  carve  to  encourage  elaboration.  These 
stones   have  vertical   faces,  indicating   that  the   pyramids,  like  those 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  221 

of  other  sections,  had  a  series  of  vertical  steps  offsetting  to  the  sum- 
mit. It  was  while  I  sketched  the  serpent's  head  that  the  old  Indian 
robber  secured  my  pistol. 

At  the  base  of  this  pile  on  the  east  is  a  terrace  some  50  feet  wide, 
which  descends  the  side  of  the  mountain  60  feet  or  more  to  be  fol- 
lowed by  others,  and  in  such  abjupt  fashion  that  little  can  be  seen 
of  them  from  above.  Across  this  first  terrace,  connecting  with  the 
corner  of  the  pyramid,  is  a  massive  stone  wall  10  feet  high  and  with 
slightly  sloping  faces.  At  this  point  begins  the  irregular  line  of  pyra- 
mids that  connects  along  the  east  margin  of  the  mountain  serving  to 
inclose  the  great  square  on  this  side.  These  pyramids  are  of  irreg- 
ular height  and  varying  horizontal  extent,  but  form  a  continuous 
chain,  the  larger  mounds  being  connected  by  inferior  structures,  so 
that  the  great  inclosure  is  not  open  to  the  mountain  brink,  save 
perhaps  at  the  north  end,  where  there  is  now  a  passage  and  a  roadway 
or  trail.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  these  mounds  are  in  a  single  line, 
standing  on  the  ver}'  brink,  and  that  there  was  no  attempt  at  assem- 
blage in  quadrangles  save  perhaps  at  the  north  end  and  in  a  group 
occupying  a  subordinate  level  on  the  east  declivity.  There  are  five 
principal  pyramids  in  the  chain,  one  near  the  south  end  100  feet 
from  the  base  of  the  great  southern  mound  ;  two  closely  associated 
oblong  pyramids  near  the  middle  of  the  line,  the  loftiest  having  a 
height  of  35  or  40  feet  and  a  length  of  at  least  150  feet  ;  and  two 
others,  not  widely  separated,  next  the  north  end.  The  connecting 
ridges,  shown  in  the  panorama  and  map,  are  from  10  to  20  feet  in 
height  and  40  or  50  feet  in  width,  and,  although  somewhat  irregular 
in  form,  bear  evidence  of  former  regularity.  It  is  highly  probable 
that  all  were  neatly  andsymmetricall}'  finished,  and  supported  a  series 
of  imposing  buildings.  Many  of  the  mounds  show  traces  of  mutila- 
tion by  modern  explorers. 

The  chain  of  pyramids  extending  from  north  to  south  along  the 
middle  of  the  great  square  constitutes  one  of  the  most  interesting  fea- 
tures of  these  remains.  They  are  well  shown  in  the  panorama  and 
map.  In  viewing  these  works  one  is  tempted  to  indulge  in  specula- 
tions as  to  the  conditions  that  must  have  prevailed  during  the  period 
of  occupation.  How  striking  must  have  been  the  effects  when  these 
pyramids  were  all  crowned  with  imposing  temples,  when  the  great, 
level  plaza  about  them,  600  by  1,000  feet  in  extent,  was  brilliant  with 
barbaric  displays,  and  the  inclosing  ranges  of  terraces  and  pyramids 
were  occupied  by  gathered  throngs.  Civilization  has  rarely  con- 
ceived anything  in  the  way  of  amphitheatric  display  more  extensive 
and  imposing  than  this. 


222 


Field  Columbian  Museum— Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 


In  this  central  group  there  are  four  pyramids,  the  northern  one 
standing  alone  and  the  others  connected  by  subordinate  links.  The 
principal  summits  are  about  23  feet  in  height,  the  bases  approximate 
100  feet  square,  and  the  level  summits  are  less  than  60  feet  square. 
The  third  member  is  somewhat  longer  from  north  to  south.  All  pre- 
sent considerable  irregularities,  due  in  some  cases  to  debris  of  fallen 
structures  and  in  others  to  modern  excavation,  and  tunnels  and  pits 
appear  in  many  places.  The  slopes  are  generally  steep  and  cov- 
ered with  scrubby  trees.  In  the  south  face  of  the  southern  mound, 
as  indicated  in  the  panorama,  an  ancient  gallery  or  tomb-like  cham- 


Fig.  70.     Chamber  in  S  de  of  Pyramid;  Probably  a  Tomb. 

The  walls  are  well  built  of  rough  dressed  stone  and  the  ceiliug  is  formed  of  massive  blocks 
Inclined  together  at  the  top.  The  situation  is  at  a  in  the  panorima.  Width  of  chamber  3  feet: 
whole  height  about  6  feet. 

ber  is  seen.  It  is  at  the  left  and  a  little  more  than  half  way  up  the 
slope.  The  opening  is  broken  down,  and  the  doorway,  if  any  existed, 
is  entirely  removed.  The  chamber  is  about  12  feet  in  length  :  the 
lateral  and  end  walls,  faced  with  squarish  blocks  of  slightly  hewn 
stone,  are  4  feet  high  ;  and  the  ceiling  is  formed  of  large  unhewn  or 
partially  hewn  blocks  of  stone  resting  on  the  lateral  walls  and  leaned 
together  at  the  top,  as  shown  in  the  accompanying  sketch.  Fig.  70. 
The  body  of  the  pyramid,  so  far  as  exposed,  is  composed  largely  of 
stone  and  contains  numerous  stones  of  rather  large  size. 

As  shown  in  the  panorama  the  chain  of  pyramids  inclosing  the 
great  plaza  on  the  west  occupies  a   wide  space  and   includes   two  or 


Feb.  1897. 


Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


223 


three  well-developed  quadrangles.  The  various  members  have  been 
connected  pretty  closely  for  the  entire  length. 

The  space,  from  200  to  400  feet  wide,  lying  between  the  base  of 
the  south-end  pyramid  and  the  mountain  margin  on  the  west  side,  is 
occupied  by  various  works  of  inferior  height,  nearly  all  much  reduced 
by  cultivation.  These  features,  as  indicated  on  the  map,  are  sepa- 
rated from  the  great  western  range  of  mounds  by  a  slightly  depressed 
space,  30  or  40  feet  wide,  which  extends  from  the  northwest  corner  of 
the  south-end  pile  to  the  western  brink  of  the  mountain. 

Rising  from  this  depression  on  the  north  is  a  prominent  quad- 
rangular group,  consisting  of  a  great  pyramid,  on  the  outer  side  25 
feet  high  and  60  by  90  feet  on  the  summit ;  an  inferior  pyramid  on 
the  inner  side  facing  the  great  square  ;  and  two  low  ridges  closing  in 
the  court  on  the  north  and  south.  The  court  is  something  like  100 
feet  square,  and  contains  the  usual  central  pile  of  debris. 


Fig.  71.     Colossal  Heads  in  Low  Relief. 

The  slabs  project  from  the  side  of  a  pyramid,  near  the  base,  in  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
■grand  plaza;  ^  in  the  panorama.  They  represent  the  facing  of  the  structure  or  the  lining  of  a 
tomb.     Height  of  heads,  15  inches. 

North  of  the  main  western  mound  is  a  second  large  mound,  15  or 
20  feet  high  on  the  inner  side  and  40  feet  high  on  the  west.  The 
summit  is  much  broken  by  depressions  and  piles  of  debris  represent- 
ing ancient  structures,  and  is  about  140  feet  from  north  to  south  and 
60  feet  from  east  to  west.  Between  these  pyramids  is  a  small  mound 
much  mutilated  by  modern  excavation.  Here  I  encountered  the 
remains  of  another  chamber,  extending  into  the  corner  of  the  pile  near 
the  base,  the  walls  of  which  are  covered,  at  least  along  the  upper 
margin,  with  crude  relief  sculptures.  The  roof  is  formed,  as  in  the 
other  case,  of  inclined  stones  of  large  size.  This  is  probably  the  cham- 
ber in  which  Dupaix  found  human  bones.  Projecting  a  few  inches 
above  the  debris  I  observed  the  sculptured  stones  described  and  illus- 
trated by  Dupaix.      Figures  of  men  in  ver}'   low,  crude  relief   occupy 


224         Field  Coiambian   Mlseim — Axthropologv,  Vol.    i. 

the  faces  of  the  rather  rough  blocks,  which  are,  I  believe,  of  very- 
hard  limestone.  The  head  most  plainly  seen  (Fig.  71)  is  of  colossal 
size,  and  belongs  no  doubt  to  the  sitting  figure  copied  by  Kingsbor- 
ough  and  Bancroft  from  Dupaix.  In  style  the  work  is  decidedly 
unlike  anything  that  I  have  seen  elsewhere. 

The  long  mound  is  followed  on  the  north  by  a  low  rounded  pile, 
and  this  by  a  third  pyramid  of  average  dimensions  ;  and  beyond  this 
again  is  the  final  member  of  the  series — a  low,  wide  mound  much 
reduced  by  cultivation.  All  of  these  structures  line  up  with  the  west- 
ern wall  of  the  mountain,  and  their  outer  faces  are  continuous  with 
a  great  terrace  whose  steep  face  connects  with  still  other  artificial 
steps  descending  to  the  precipitous,  ribbed  mountain  wall.  The 
third  pyramid  forms  the  outer  member  of  a  quadrangle,  the  east  mem- 
ber of  which  is  a  low,  oblong  pile  facing  the  great  plaza,  while  the 
sides  have  only  obscure  ridges. 

Ascending  the  broad  terrace  front  that  rises  to  the  north  of  the 
great  plaza  I  encountered  the  most  remarkable  evidences  of  the 
enterprise  and  taste  of  the  ancient  occupants  of  Monte  Alban. 
The  entire  mountain  summit,  varying  from  500  to  800  feet  in  width, 
is  occupied  by  a  vast  group  of  works.  The  east  and  west  outlines 
follow  approximate!}'  the  somewhat  uneven  sides  of  the  crest,  and 
on  the  north  and  south  the  fronts  extend  in  slightly  broken  lines 
entirely  across  from  brink  to  brink.  The  distance  from  north  to  south 
is  some  700  or  800  feet.  The  outline  is  approximately  indicated  on 
the  map  which,  with  the  aid  of  the  panorama,  will  give  a  fair  idea  of 
the  varied  and  interesting  character  of  the  structures.  Just  how 
much  of  this  great  mass  is  natural  and  how  much  is  artificial  no  one 
can  state,  but  that  the  entire  surface  is  artificial  is  apparent,  and  not 
onl}^  that,  but  the  various  sub-terraces,  descending  from  its  east  and 
west  sides  for  some  distance  down  the  mountain  slopes,  are  also  arti- 
ficial. The  several  superposed  pyramids  first  catch  the  eye,  but 
advancing  a  hundred  feet  from  the  southern  margin  of  the  terrace  a 
wholly  unique  feature  is  encountered;  it  is  a  sunken  square  100  feet  or 
more  in  extent  and  some  20  feet  deep,  on  the  level  floor  of  which  is  a 
large  pile  of  tree-covered  debris,  marking  a  central  feature — a  shrine  or 
temple.  Surrounding  the  depressed  area  numerous  pyramids  rise,  * 
some  in  one  and  others  in  two  levels.  The  level  spaces — even  the 
bed  of  the  sunken  square  and  the  summits  of  the  pyramids — are  under 
cultivation  (in  the  wet  season),  and  thearrangement  of  depressions  and 
reliefs  and  the  grouping  of  plain  and  tree-covered  areas,  strongly  sug- 
gest  a  masterly   piece  of  landscape  gardening.      At  the  west  end  of 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  225 

the  sunken  area  stands  a  pyramid  of  average  dimensions,  occupying 
the  entire  width  of  the  terrace  on  that  side;  from  this  a  view  is 
obtained  of  the  west  face  of  the  whole  cluster  of  works  as  well  as  of 
the  deep,  precipitous  gorge  which  descends  the  west  face  of  the  moun- 
tain from  the  sub-terrace  bordering  the  main  terrace  on  that  side. 
The  sides  of  this  gorge  are  unterraced  save  in  part,  as  they  were  too 
rugged  and  rocky  to  be  successfully  treated.  It  is  the  head  of  this 
gorge  that  breaks  the  continuity  of  the  lateral  terracing  on  this  side 
of  the  crest. 

On  the  east  side  of  the  sunken  court  we  encounter  first  (at  the 
right  in  the  panorama)  a  pyramid  of  average  size,  resting  on  the  mar- 
gin of  the  main  terrace  and  affording  a  view  down  over  the  complex 
system  of  subordinate  terraces  on  the  east  side;  and  back  of  this  a 
pyramid  of  compound  form — a  broad  foundation  mass  supporting  two 
superstructures  reaching  a  height  of  70  or  80  feet  above  the  general 
summit  level.  The  sides  are  all  steep  and  the  summits  flat  as  usual, 
but  all  are  so  covered  with  vegetation  that  it  is  difficult  to  secure  a 
clear  view.  Back  of  these  and  bordering  the  sunken  court  on  the 
north  are  several  mounds  and  depressed  areas;  and  a  single  mound 
stands  alone  at  the  extreme  northwest  corner,  from  which  views  are 
obtained  down  the  slopes  and  into  the  several  drainage  courses  that 
separate  the  spurs  of  the  northern  end  of  the  mountain.  There  has 
been  much  recent  excavation  in  this  great  cluster  of  pyramids,  and  the 
center  of  the  group,  especially  north  of  the  sunken  court,  has  been 
extensively  dug  over.  Avery  interesting  feature  of  the  group  is  seen 
at  the  northeast  corner,  where  there  is  an  extension  of  the  main  terrace 
100  feet  or  more  in  width  and  400  or  500  feet  from  north  to  south; 
and  at  the  base  of  this  again,  30  feet  lower,  is  a  second  level  nearly 
100  feet  wide,  extending  all  along  the  east  side  and  connecting  in  a 
somewhat  broken  line  along  the  north  side.  From  these  terraces  we 
look  down  upon  many  subordinate  terraces  and  mounds,  and  the  eye 
follows  the  main  northeast  spur  until  it  connects  by  a  saddle  with  a 
prolonged  subordinate  summit  extending  far  out  toward  the  Lesser 
Alban,  and  from  which  it  is  separated  by  a  low  pass.  This  great  spur 
is  crowned  with  an  extensive  system  of  terraces  and  mounds,  repeating 
•in  a  measure  the  phenomena  of  the  principal  summit;  it  is  not  included 
in  the  large  scale  map,  but  is  seen  on  the  smaller  map  (Fig.  68)  and 
at  the  right  in  the  panorama. 

From  the  northwest  angle  of  the  great  group  described  above,  a 
broad  spur  of  the  mountain  extends  outward,  dividing  up  into  sub- 
ordinate ridges  a^it  descends,  and  on  every  available  spot  mound 
groups,  mostly  in  quadrangular  arrangement,  are  seen  ;   the  first   and 


226  FlKLI>    CoiAMUlAX     MuSELM — ^AnTHROI'OI.OGV,    VoL.     1. 

second  clusters  of  these  are  seen  in  the  distance  at  the  left  in  the 
panorama,  and  these  also  come  within  the  limits  of  the  map.  The 
first  group  consists  of  two  somewhat  irregular  mounds  below  medium 
size,  and  the  second  is  a  quadrangle  with  the  usual  court  and  central 
pile.  The  mounds  are  small.  This  was  the  extreme  point  visited  in 
this  direction. 

I  need  add  to  this  hasty  sketch  only  a  few  brief  remarks  in  resume. 
In  ancient  times  the  Monte  Alban  district  was  no  doubt  densely  popu- 
lated, and  this  mountain  was  a  favorite  seat — not  a  fortress  simply, 
or  even  a  sacred  place  devoted  exclusively  to  worship  and  burial,  but 
an  actual  city,  the  center  of  population  of  an  agricultural  people 
which  utilized  the  valleys,  and  terraced  and  planted  every  square  yard 
of  available  ground  up  to  the  very  crests  of  the  mountains.  The  city 
in  the  sky  was  probably  occupied  not  only  in  the  wet  season,  when 
rain  would  supply  the  water  needed  for  subsistence  and  agriculture, 
but  means  must  have  been  devised  by  which  the  necessary  supply 
could  be  preserved  or  secured  for  the  dry  season. 

The  quadrangular  grouping  of  structures  was  almost  universal, 
the  four  substructures  consisting  of  oblong  pyramids,  one  or  two  of 
which  were  of  commanding  height  and  the  others  low  and  narrow. 
The  indications  are  that  the  loftier  piles  were  stepped  and  faced  with 
cut  stone  or  cement.  The  amount  of  hewn  and  sculptured  stone 
employed  was  very  limited,  a  result  of  the  almost  complete  absence 
of  any  easily  worked  stone.  The  hearting  of  the  masses  was  of  stones, 
earth  and  mortar,  extremely  heterogeneous  in  arrangement,  and 
probably,  on  account  of  the  situation,  assembled  at  great  expense  of 
time  and  labor.  The  floors  of  terraces  and  buildings  were  of  cement 
or  plaster,  and  the  superstructures,  now  represented  by  much  reduced 
masses  and  remnants  of  walls,  were  apparenth'  built  largely  of  small, 
irregular  stones,  faced  up  on  the  surface  without  much  dressing  and 
no  doubt  finished  in  plaster.  In  plan  the  superstructure  was  always 
extremely  simple,  and  probably  varied  little  from  the  plain  rectangle. 
The  entrance  was  reached  by  a  stairway  on  the  side  facing  the 
court.  Nothing  remains  to  tell  the  story  of  the  elevation,  the  roof 
and  the  embellishment ;  but  the  general  likeness  of  the  remains  in  all 
visible  features  to  the  well-preserved  structures  of  Mitla  leaves 
little  room  for  doubt  that  they  were  much  the  same  in  all  essentials. 
Orientation  seems  to  have  been  considered  with  much  care,  as  but 
few  structures  fail  to  conform  with  approximate  accuracy  to  the  points 
of  the  compass,  no  matter  what  the  character  and  trend  of  the  sites 
occupied.  • 


PL.  XXVI.      Panoramic  View  of  Monte  Alban  from  the  Lesser  Alban. 


PANORAMIC   VIEW   OF   MONTE   ALBAN   FROM   THE  LESSER  ALBAN. 


m 


o 


PL.  XXVII.      Panoramic  View  of  Summit  Remains,   Monte  Alban. 


PL.   XXVI il.      Sketch-Map  of  Summit  Remains  of   Monte   AuBAr 


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SKETCH-MAP   OF   SUMMIT   REMAINS   OF  MONTE   ALBAN. 


Fek.   1897.  Ancient  CnrHs  of  Mexico — Holmes.  227 


RUINS  OF  MITLA. 


THE  JOURNEY.  The  trip  from  Oaxaca  to  Mitla,  a  distance  of 
thirty  miles,  was  made  by  stage  over  the  well-traveled  thoroughfare 
that  leads  to  the  east  and  southeast  toward  Tehauntepec.  We  passed 
the  whole  way  through  broad  valleys  dotted  with  villages  and  farms 
and  bordered  by  the  same  brown  slopes  and  monotonous  and  barren- 
looking  mountains  that  characterize  the  vicinity  of  Oaxaca.  The 
geology  changes  from  the  older  sedimentary  formations  outcropping 
west  of  the  city  and  in  Monte  Alban  to  massive  volcanic  products 
among  which  gray  and  greenish  trachytes  take  a  prominent  place. 
There  are  traces  of  ancient  occupation  here  and  there  along  the  road, 
and  about  ten  miles  out  we  passed  a  low  ridge  on  the  right  which  is 
crowned  and  serrated  by  a  number  of  quadrangular  groups  of  mounds 
similar  to  those  seen  in  such  great  numbers  on  Monte  Alban  and  the 
lesser  ridge  west  of  Oaxaca.  Late  in  the  afternoon  we  turned  to  the 
east  around  a  bold  trachyte  promontory,  and  soon  reached  the  town 
of  Mitla,  nestled  away  in  a  broad  amphitheater-like  valley  surrounded 
completely  by  mountains. 

MODERN  MITLA.  The  ancient  site  is  now  pretty  fully  occupied 
by  a  modern  village,  consisting  for  the  most  part  of  thatched  houses 
of  poles  and  cane  obscured  by  clusters  of  trees  and  cactus  fences. 
The  churches,  market  place,  and  some  of  the  principal  houses  are 
built  of  stone  derived  very  largely  no  doubt  from  the  ancient  build- 
ings, and  adobe  is  also  used  to  a  considerable  extent.  The  location  was 
probably  selected  by  the  ancient  occupants  because  it  was  the  lower 
limit  of  water  supply  in  the  dry  season.  The  creek  is  supplied  by 
springs  rising  in  the  mountains  to  the  east,  and  passes  through  the  city 
between  abrupt  clay  banks  often  twenty  feet  in  height.  In  the  wet 
season  the  flow  extends  into  the  lower  valley,  but  in  the  winter  it 
barely  suffices  to  supply  the  village  with  water  for  domestic  purposes 
and  for  stock.  The  larger  part  of  the  town  is  located  on  a  partially 
isolated  terrace  on  the  south  side  of  the  stream.  Here  we  have  the 
market  place,  the  store  and  the  hotel,  the  latter  being  well  kept  in  a 
commodious  house  b}'  a  Mexican  family.  On  this  side,  also  near  the 
creek,  there  are  the  remains  of  a  quadrangular  group  of  buildings, 
represented  by  four  ruined  pyramids,  and  traces  are  seen  of  what 
appears  to  be  another  group  between  this  and  the  steep  bank  of  the 
creek.  In  the  central  part  of  the  village,  where  recent  building  and 
rebuilding  has  been  most  active,  there  must  have  been  other  struc- 


228 


Fir.LD  Columbian"   Museum— Axthropologv,   Vol.  i. 


tures,  now  wholly  effaced  or  obscured  by  modern  buildings  or  accu- 
mulations of  debris.  As  a  building  site  this  elevated  level  space 
would  seem  to  be  superior  to  the  irregular  slope  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  creek  where  the  great  groups  of  buildings  are  found.  The 
ground  on  the  north  side  slopes  at  a  gentle  angle  from  the  low  bluff 
to  the  banks  of  the  creek  and  is  cut  by  two  or  three  gullies  or 
arroyos.  Next  the  creek  the  space  is  covered  with  modern  dwell- 
ings, and  here  the  ancient  buildings — such  as  existed — are  practically 
obliterated. 

The  better  preserved  groups  of  ruins  are  on  the  outskirts  of  the 
village  several  hundreds  of  feet  from  the  stream,  and  to  this  circum- 
stance they  owe  their  escape  from  destruction.  There  are  but  few 
houses  in  the  desolate-looking  valle\'  outside  of  the  village. 

The  inhabitants,  a  homel}',  squalid  people,  are  largely  of  the 
native  Zapotecan  stock  and  live  in  a  most  simple  manner,  cultivating 
the  soil,  keeping  some  sheep  and  cattle,  and  still  practising  in  a  small 
way  a  few  of  their  aboriginal  arts.  The  w^eaving  of  coarse  woolen 
fabrics,  as  illustrated  in  PL  XXIX,  is  carried  on  by  many  families. 


Fig.  72.     Iron  Ax  in  use  to-day,  modeled  after  the  ancient  Stone  Celt;   and 

AN  Iron  Knife  or  Machette  of  peculiar  shape,  hafted  in 

primitive  style. 


The  most  interesting  specimens  of  their  handiwork  are  their 
metal  tools,  which  are  extremely  primitive,  the  ax,  forexample,  being 
a  chisel-like  blade  of  iron  almost  exactly  duplicating  the  well-known 
ax  or  celt  of  the  ancient  aborigines.  It  is  set  in  a  handle  of  tough 
wood,  just  as  were  the  stone  and  copper  axes  of  early  times.  A  piece 
of  tough  wood  some  two  feet  long  is  worked  down  into  a  rough  handle 
at  one  end,  while  an  enlargement  at  the  other  end  is  perforated  for 
the  insertion  of  the  blade.  The  knife  or  machette  is  equally  simple 
and  the  manner  of  inserting  the  short  blade  is  very   curious.       The 


Feb.  1897.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  229 

spade,  hoe  and  other  agricultural  tools  are  hardly  less  interesting.  I 
brought  away  several  specimens,  including  the  ax  and  machette  shown 
in  Fig.  72. 

THE  ANCIENT  REMAINS.  The  ruined  structures  of  Mitla  are 
better  preserved  than  those  of  any  other  group  in  Mexico  proper, 
but  are  not  so  extensive  as  are  the  remains  of  Monte  Alban  or  San 
Juan  Teotihuacan;  neither  does  it  appear  that  they  represent  a  city 
comparable  in  size  and  importance  with  these  places,  or  with  others 
in  Yucatan  and  Guatemala.  But  they  are  surpassingly  interesting 
and  bear  out  the  impression,  given  by  each  great  site  in  turn,  that 
the  pre-Spanish  peoples  had  developed  in  certain  lines,  and  espe- 
cially in  the  temple  building  art,  far  beyond  the  stage  of  advance- 
ment ascribed  by  common  estimate  to  the  native  races. 

The  art  of  Mitla,  as  represented  b}'  the  architectural  remains,  was 
highly  individualized  and  hence  presents  many  novel  features — a 
result  due  in  large  part,  no  doubt,  to  the  isolation  of  the  people  and 
the  peculiarities  of  their  environment.  Many  features  of  plan,  pro- 
file, construction  and  finish  are  new  to  the  student  who  has  paid 
attention  chiefly  to  Nahua  and  Maya  building,  and  the  system  of 
embellishment  seems  to  stand  alone,  even  in  the  province  to  which  it 
belongs.  The  mural  decorations  are  purely  geometric,  and  in  appear- 
ance are  in  striking  contrast  with  the  mythological,  life-form  designs 
so  prevalent  throughout  other  sections  of  Mexico.  Much  has  been 
said  by  various  authors  regarding  the  significance  of  these  and  other 
peculiarities  of  the  architecture,  and  some  have  predicated  upon  them 
marked  distinctions  of  race,  but  such  characters  of  art,  standing 
alone,  have  no  great  value  as  ethnic  criteria. 

With  respect  to  the  mechanical  perfection  of  Mitlan  work  in 
stone,  it  may  be  said  that  environment  probably  had  much  to  do  with 
it.  The  trachytes  that  surround  Mitla  break  down  in  great  blocks  along 
the  cliffs  and  are  the  most  tractable  and  easily  manipulated  of  the 
building  stones.  Monte  Alban  furnished  nothing  but  flint}^  quartzite 
and  gnarled  crN'Stalline  limestone;  San  Juan  Teotihuacan  had  mainly 
the  most  intractable  forms  of  basaltic  lavas.  Such  rocks  do  not  lend 
themselves  to  the  pick  of  thequarryman  and  the  chisel  of  the  sculp- 
tor, otherwise  these  two  cities  would  probably  have  contained  exam- 
ples of  architectural  achievement  unequaled  in  America.  Mitla  is 
what  it  is  largely  because  of  the  presence  of  inexhaustible  supplies  of 
superb  and  easily  worked  building  stone — the  soft,  massive,  yet  tough 
and  durable,  trachytes. 

Mitla  has  been  described  in  recent  years  b}'  a  number  of  visitors, 
including    Charnay  and    Bandelier,   but   it   has   not   been  adequately 


230         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anihropologv,   Vol.  i. 

explored  by  anyone,  and  even  the  visible  features  have  been  but 
meagerly  presented  to  the  world.  Although  my  own  studies  here 
were  more  full  and  careful  than  in  the  other  cities,  I  cannot  hope 
to  cover  the  whole  ground.  Bancroft*  has  reviewed  the  literature  of 
the  site,  and  Bandeliert  has  discussed  the  people  as  well  as  the  litera- 
ture, and  has  published  elaborate  measurements  and  descriptions  of 
the  buildings.  Charnay;|:  gave  to  the  world  a  superb  series  of  photo- 
graphs, but  has  published  few  original  observations.  I  shall  give 
first  attention  to  the  presentation  of  a  panoramic  view  and  then  take 
up  in  some  detail  matters  pertaining  to  construction  and  decorative 
elaboration,  and  to  the  quarrying  and  cutting  of  stone. 

PANORAMIC  VIEW.  The  situation  of  Mitla  is  such  that  a  point 
of  view  comprehending  even  the  main  structures  in  a  satisfactory 
manner,  is  difficult  to  secure.  The  mountains  are  too  far  away  to 
furnish  points  of  observation,  and  the  bluff,  which  rises  just  back  of 
the  ruins  on  the  north  side,  is  so  situated  that  from  it  the  buildings 
have  a  tame  and  squatty  look;  and  the  colors  of  the  stonework, 
all  somber  grays  and  browns,  are  so  blended  with  the  gray  adobe 
plains  and  russet  slopes  that  no  effect  of  relief  or  contrast  can 
be  obtained.  Besides  this  the  village  and  its  clusters  of  dark  foliage 
are  spread  like  a  veil  over  the  site,  obscuring  the  various  remains. 
Not  being  able  to  secure  an  elevated  point  that  would  serve  my  pur- 
pose it  became  necessar}'  to  assume  a  point  of  view  and  construct 
the  panorama.  The  point  selected  was  a  little  to  the  east  of  the  best 
preserved  group  of  ruins  and  high  enough  to  display  all  the  groups 
clearly.  In  order  to  secure  accuracy,  each  ruin  was  studied  with 
great  care  from  every  available  point,  and  photographs  were  made 
with  the  same  end  in  view.  In  the  very  elongated  panoramic  view 
presented  in  PI.  XXXVIII  we  look  to  the  west  down  the  valley  of  the 
Rio  Mitla.  The  foliage  is  for  the  most  part  omitted,  and  the  whole 
scene  is  simplified  with  the  view  of  bringing  the  ancient  buildings  out 
in  better  relief.  The  stream  course  with  its  vertical  clay  banks 
meanders  the  site  at  the  left  and  passes  be3-ond,  disappearing  between 
the  interlocking  terraces  which  slope  up  in  long  monotonous  lines  to 
the  fine  mountain  range  at  the  left,  and  on  the  right  connect  with  the 
bold  spurs  that  come  forward  into  the  valley  from  that  side. 

A  conspicuous  feature  of  the  landscape  is  a  hill  quite  isolated 
from  the  remainder  of  the  highland  and  somewhat  suggesting — mainly 
because  of   its   ruins — the  Acropolis   at   Athens.      This  bears   on   its 

*Native  Races.  \'oL  IV,  p.  388. 

+Archaeoloffical  Reconnoissance  into  Mexico,  p.  263. 

JAncient  Cities  of  America,  p.  ;oo. 


Feb.  1897.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  231 

summit  an  ancient  fortress,  the  walls  of  which,  and  the  ruined  build- 
ings within,  are  plainly  seen  from  Mitla  with  the  naked  eye.  In  the 
distance  the  valley  turns  to  the  right  around  a  lofty  ridge,  and  the 
blue  ranges  beyond  close  the  view  to  the  west. 

A  brief  study  of  the  accompanying  map,  PI. XXXIX,  in  conjunction 
with  the  panorama,  will  aid  greatly  in  securing  a  clear  notion  of  the 
relation  of  the  buildings  to  each  other  and  to  the  site.  The  point  of 
view  for  the  panorama  is  indicated  by  a  cross  on  the  map.  Five 
great  clusters  of  buildings  are  more  or  less  perfectly  preserved,  and  it 
is  possible  that  others  could  be  traced  if  excavations  were  undertaken. 
The  Group  of  the  Catholic  Establishment  (I),  near  the  bluff  on  the 
north  side,  consists  of  three  coalescent  or  closely  associated  quad- 
rangles; the  Group  of  the  Columns  (II),  a  little  lower  down,  includes 
three  well  preserved  quadrangles;  the  Group  of  the  Arroyo  (III), 
still  farther  down,  comprises  three  quadrangles;  the  Adobe  Group 
(IV)  to  the  right  of  this  consists  of  but  one  quadrangle;  and  the 
South  Side  Group  (V)  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  Rio  Mitla,  consists 
of  two  quadrangles.  These  structures  are  all  located  with  approximate 
accuracy  on  the  accompanying  map,  PI.  XXXIX.*  It  is  possible  that 
a  sixth  group  was  located  on  the  favorable  site  between  the  Group  of 
the  Columns  and  the  river,  and  it  will  not  be  surprising  if  foundations 
of  one  or  more  groups  are  at  some  future  time  discovered  on  the  site 
of  the  market  place  in  the  center  of  the  village. 

ORIENTATION  AND  ASSEMBLAGE.  The  ruined  buildings  occupy 
an  area  not  more  than  two  thousand  feet  from  north  to  south  and  less 
than  a  thousand  feet  from  east  to  west.  Their  orientation  is  excep- 
tionally uniform;  the  walls  do  not  vary  in  any  case  more  than  4  or  5 
degrees  from  the  magnetic  points  as  indicated  by  a  compass  not 
liable  to  an  error  of  more  than  i  or  2  degrees.  This  uniformity  is 
rendered  more  notable  by  the  fact  that  there  is  considerable  variety 
in  the  materials  and  construction  of  the  structures  as  if  they  had  been 
built  at  different  times  or  under  unlike  conditions. 

THE  BUILDING  MATERIALS.  Stone  and  adobe  were  the  chief 
materials  employed  in  the  buildings  that  now  remain,  but  wood  was 
used  to  a  large  extent  and  must  have  been  employed  extensively  in 
the  less  important  buildings  and  in  the  construction  of  dwellings. 
Although  there  are  workable  sandstones  and  some  beds   of  limestone 

*  To  those  familiar  with  the  sketch  map  of  Mitla  published  by  Mr.  Bandelierin  his  "Mexico," 
the  definiteness  and  regularity  given  the  forms  of  the  ruins  in  my  map  may  seem  an  exaggeration. 
Mr.  Bandelier  has  chosen  to  present  the  forms  of  mounds  as  they  appear  to-day.  encumbered 
and  obscured  by  modern  buildings,  walls  and  fences,  at  the  same  time  failing  to  do  justice  to  the 
symmetry  and  the  accuracy  of  line  and  angle  of  the  buildings.  I  have  endeavored  to  show  the 
standing  structures  exactly  as  they  are,  and  besides  have  tried  to  express  in  dotted  lines  something 
of  what  is  definitely  known  or  safely  surmised  of  forms  now  represented  by  remnants  merely. 


232  FlK.LLi    ColLMBIAX    MUSEU.M Am  H  ROI'OLOc;  V,     \"OL.    I. 

exposed  in  the  valley,  the  trachytes  were  preferred,  and  these  are 
unsurpassed  as  building  material  even  by  the  massive  limestone  of 
Yucatan.  The  convenience  and  tractable  nature  of  the  trachytes 
encouraged  the  use  of  large  masses,  and  there  are  now  to  be  seen  in 
the  various  buildings  upwards  of  fift}-  lintel  stones,  ranging  from  10 
to  20  feet  in  length  and  from  2  to  4J2  feet  in  each  of  the  other 
dimensions,  the  weight  varying  from  10  to  15  tons:  besides  these 
there  are  more  than  twice  that  number  of  columns,  jamb-stones  and 
ceiling  slabs  of  only  slightly  inferior  proportions.  Hundreds  of  others 
have  been  destroyed  or  lie  buried  beneath  accumulations  of  debris. 
The  quarrying,  dressing  and  handling  of  these  stones  required  great 
expenditure  of  labor  on  the  part  of  a  primitive  people.  But  the 
numerous  buildings  also  required  vast  numbers  of  smaller  hewn  stones 
for  facing  the  walls — exterior  and  interior,  and  the  number  of  small 
dressed  bits  employed  in  the  geometric  mosaics  is  almost  beyond 
estimate. 

Beside  the  cut  stone  employed  in  building,  other  materials  were 
required  in  vast  quantities.  Rough  stone  had  to  be  gathered  from 
the  bluffs  and  mountain  slopes  for  the  interior  mass  or  hearting  of 
terraces,  pyramids  and  walls;  adobe,  to  be  obtained  in  unlimited 
quantities  in  the  vicinity,  had  to  be  mixed  and  transported  at  all 
stages  of  the  work  as  a  matrix  for  the  stone,  and  beside  was  made 
into  bricks  for  the  construction  of  one,  at  least,  of  the  great  groups 
of  buildings  :  then  there  was  cement  or  concrete  made  of  lime  mixed 
wdth  gravel  for  the  la}ing  of  roofs,  floors  and  pavements.  There 
occur  also  in  the  adobe  mortar  of  the  walls  countless  flaked  flints 
which  will  be  referred  to  in  another  place. 

There  were  required  also  great  quantities  of  paints,  mainly 
mixtures  of  whitish  earths  and  iron  oxides,  with  which  the  buildings 
were  washed  within  and  without — not  onl)'  once  but  at  frequent  inter- 
vals— so  that  in  days  of  prosperity  the  city  must  have  presented  an 
attractive  and  brilliant  appearance. 

Lastly,  we  must  not  overlook  the  use  of  wood.  This  material 
was  probably  not  extensively  used  in  the  stone  buildings  save  in  the 
construction  of  ceilings  or  roofs.  That  stone  also  was  used  for  this 
purpose  in  some  cases  is  readil)'  seen,  although  wood  was  employed 
for  all  long  spans :  in  the  northwest  hall  of  the  Quadrangle  of 
the  Grecques  the  end  sockets  of  several  ceiling  beams  and  the  impres- 
sion in  the  mortar  matrix  of  one  round  side  are  still  preserved. 
According  to  this  evidence  the  timbers  used  were  about  12  feet  long 
by  12  inches  wide  and  7  to  g  inches  thick.  They  were  probably 
hewn  flat  on  the  upper  and  under  sides.      Larger  timbers  must  have 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  233 

been  used  in  the  wider  spans  of  the  Hall  of  the  Columns,  and  in 
several  other  buildings.  The  buildings  now  existing  or  distinctly 
traceable  would  have  required  some  1,500  beams  if  spaced  as  indi- 
cated by  the  sockets  referred  to  above.  The  cutting  of  these  timbers 
was  no  insignificant  work  for  a  people  whose  implements  were  much 
better  suited  for  shaping  stone  than  wood. 

MASONRY.  The  masonr}'  of  the  Mitlan  buildings  is  of  a  sviperior 
order,  and  all  are  forced  to  admire  the  precision  of  the  stone  la3ing 
and  the  stability  of  the  work.  The  erection  of  one  of  these  massive 
piles  was  a  great  undertaking  for  stone  age  builders,  and  must  have 
consumed  a  vast  deal  of  time.  When  the  character  of  the  building 
had  been  decided  upon  and  the  plans  sufficiently  matured,  the  hewers 
of  stone,  the  carriers  of  water,  and  the  compounders  of  mortar,  assem- 
bled their  materials  on  the  chosen  site  and  the  mason  began  his  ardu- 
ous work.  The  low  mass  of  the  foundation  terrace,  composed  of 
adobe  and  broken  stone,  was  heaped  up  in  approximate  shape,  and 
the  courses  of  hewn  stone  were  carried  around  the  base  and  added 
one  upon  another ;  or,  if  the  surface  was  to  be  finished  in  plaster,  the 
facing  was  of  undressed  stone  or  rubble.  Where  dressed  faces  were 
required  the  rough  hewn  stone  was  brought  forward  in  sizes  assorted 
according  to  the  course  to  be  laid  and  each  piece  was  trimmed  and 
fitted  to  its  place.  The  margins  were  so  accurately  cut  that  the 
joints  required  little  mortar,  JDut  the  back  was  rough  and  often 
somewhat  pyramidal  in  shape  so  that  it  set  more  or  less  deeply  into 
the  mortar  bed.  Where  the  walls  were  plain  the  stones  were  shallow; 
but  where  decided  variations  of  profile  occurred  certain  pieces  were 
long  and  penetrated  the  rubble  mass  behind,  binding  the  structure 
firmly  together  as  shown  in  some  of  the  accompanying  sections. 

It  has  been  stated  by  some  visitors  to  Mitla,  and  repeated  by 
several  writers,  that  mortar  was  not  used  in  laying  the  cut  stone.  This 
I  find  to  be  only  partially  true.  It  seems  to  have  been  the  aim  of  the 
builders  to  make  the  joints  so  perfect  that  lines  of  junction  would  be 
invisible,  and  this  was  practically  accomplished  in  many  of  the  most 
prominent  portions  of  the  work  ;  but  it  is  found  that  in  some  places, 
especially  in  the  mosaic  work  and  about  the  margins  of  the  large  lintel 
and  jamb-stones,  mortar  was  freely  used  to  fill  out  spaces  and  even  up 
the  surfaces.  The  mortar  was  of  excellent  quality  and  where  surfaces 
were  to  be  finished  in  color  there  was  no  good  reason  for  avoiding  its 
use  in  the  manner  indicated. 

In  all  of  these  buildings  there  was  very  little  simple  stone  laying, 
where  sizes  and  angles  were  uniform  and  course  followed  course  as 
in   brick  work.       A  few  courses   here   and  there   are   continuous  all 


234         Field  Columbian   Mlselm — Axthroi'Ologv,   Vol.  i. 

around  the  building,  but  nearly  every  course  was  a  special  course,  dif- 
fering in  width,  angle,  or  projection  from  its  neighbors,  and  nearly 
every  stone  was  a  special  stone,  cut  and  fitted  to  its  individual  space. 

SUBSTRUCTURES.  Pyramid  building  was  not  so  important  a 
feature  with  the  Mitlans  as  with  other  great  builders  of  Mexico.  Two 
of  the  principal  groups  of  buildings  rest  on  the  unmodified,  or  slightly 
modified,  surface  of  the  ground  :  the  terraces  of  a  third  are  not  over 
12  feet  high  in  any  part,  and  the  fourth  and  fifth  groups  have  one 
pyramid  each  25  feet  high,  with  others  of  inferior  height.  Altogether 
there  are  five  quadrangular  groups  having  substructures  for  all  their 
buildings,  although  all  are  not  well  defined  at  the  present  time.  The 
fully  developed  pyramid  was  built  in  steps,  ranging,  so  far  as  can  be 
made  out,  from  6  to  10  feet  in  height.  Only  one  example  remains  in 
which  these  steps  are  preserved,  and  that  is  the  east  structure  of  the 
South  Side  Group.  If  the  drawings  published  by  Dupaix  are  to  be 
relied  upon,  one  of  the  groups — probably  that  of  the  Adobes — had  all 
four  of  the  pyramids  terraced,  three  with  two  stages  each  and  one 
with  four  (/^  Fig.  73 ).  The  faces  of  the  terraces  are  nearly  vertical  and 
were  finished  in  some  cases  with  cut  stone  and  probably  in  other  cases 
with  plaster  or  cement.  The  floors  of  the  terraces  were  of  cement  and 
possibly  in  some  instances  of  stone,  and  are  not  more  than  4  or  5  feet  in 
width  in  any  case. 

The  hearting  of  the  pyramids  and  terraces  was  of  irregular  stones, 
set  in  adobe  mortar,  or  of  adobe  bricks — -the  latter  material  prevailing 
in  only  one  group  which  I  have  called  the  Group  of  the  Adobes. 

The  horizontal  dimensions  are  only  such  as  to  accommodate  the 
superstructures  and  leave  space  for  the  narrow  esplanade  and  ter- 
races. The  largest  are  about  145  feet  in  length  and  60  feet  in  width. 
Many  were  closely  joined  at  the  corners  of  the  quadrangle  and  some 


Fig.  73.     Examples  of  Mitlan  Pyramids  or  Substructures. 

a.  Platforms  of  buildings  in  the  Group  of  the  Columns. 

b.  Pyramids  of  the  Group  of  the  .\dobes,  as  given  by  Dupai.x. 

were  coalescent  at  contiguous  corners  to  their  full  height;  while  in 
one  case  at  least  the  four  members  of  a  quadrangular  group  were 
entirely  coalescent,  the  buildings  also  being  joined.  Examples  are 
presented  in  Fig.  73. 


Feb.  1897.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  235 

It  is  unfortunate  that  no  example  of  a  stairwa}' has  been  preserved, 
and  I  cannot  recall  having  seen  a  step,  or  the  trace  of  a  step,  in  Mitla. 
Early  plans  and  drawings  show  stairways  in  the  Group  of  the  Col- 
umns, leading  from  the  courts  into  the  inclosing  buildings,  and  in  the 
subterranean  passageway  of  the  south  quadrangle  of  that  group. 
Judging  by  the  general  style  of  the  stonework,  and  the  width  and 
elegance  of  the  doorways,  the  stairways  must  have  been  commodious 
and  well  built. 

SUPERSTRUCTURES.  The  buildings  of  Mitla  have  been  called 
temples  by  some,  palaces  by  others  and  communal  houses  by  still 
others,  but  the  function  is  and  must  be  largel)'  a  matter  of  conjecture. 
On  general  principles  I  would  incline  to  attribute  their  erection  to 
religious  inspiration,  but  in  their  plan  and  arrangement  they  do  not 
correspond  closely  with  the  specialized  and  generally  isolated  temples 
of  Yucatan  and  other  sections  of.  ^Mexico.  Communal  use  is  strongly 
suggested,  and  the  secluded  courts  would  have  afforded  convenient 
retreats  for  the  women  of  the  community  or  for  special  social  or 
sacerdotal  groups. 

The  Ground  Plan.  The  ground  plan  is  simple,  as  in  other  sec- 
tions of  Mexico,  presenting  only  a  limited  number  of  exceptional 
features.  As  a  rule  the  buildings  are  long  and  narrow  and  contain 
but  a  single  chamber.  In  the  north  building  of  the  South  Side  Group 
there  are  traces  of  partition  walls,  and  I  observe,  also,  that  two  of  the 
buildings  within  the  walls  of  the  fortified  hill  south  of  Mitla  have  parti- 
tion walls  apparently  belonging  to  the  original  construction;  but  as 
these  buildings  may  have  been  remodeled,  more  or  less  completely, 
for  use  by  the  modern  inhabitants,  it  may  not  be  safe  to  speak  of  this 
feature  as  certainly  belonging  to  the  original  structures.  It  is  to  be 
noted  that  the  buildings  in  which  the  partitions  occur  are  in  several 
respects  distinct  from  the  structures  of  the  central  group,  and  may 
belong  to  a  later  date  if  not  to  a  distinct  period  or  occupation. 

The  ground  plans  of  the  various  buildings  are  shown — on  a  small 
scale — on  the  accompanying  map.  It  is  seen  by  these,  as  well  as  by 
the  panorama,  that  there  are  five  clusters  or  groups  of  structures, 
numbered — beginning  at  the  north  next  the  trachyte  bluff — I,  II,  III, 
IV,  V;  and  for  convenience  of  description  I  have  named  them — in  the 
same  order — the  Group  of  the  Catholic  Establishment,  the  Group  of 
the  Columns,  the  Arroyo  Group,  the  Adobe  Group,  and  the  South 
Side  Group.  Group  I  comprises  three  quadrangles,  lettered — begin- 
ning at  the  north — A,  B.  C.  Group  II  has  three  quadrangles,  lettered 
D,  E,  F.  Group  III  has  three  quadrangles,  lettered  G,  H,  I.  Group 
IV  has  one  quadrangle,  lettered  J.  Group  V  has  two  quadrangles, 
lettered  K,  L. 


236 


Field  Columbian   Mlsku.m  —  Axthropologv.   Vol.  i. 


Before  proceeding  to  give  numbers  to  the  separate  buildings  an 
analysis  of  the  grouping  of  the  buildings  is  necessary,  as  otherwise 
the  reasons  for  separate  numbering  may  not  be  apparent.  The 
enumeration  of  twelve  quadrangles  might  lead  to  the  expectation  that 
four  times  that  many  buildings  would  be  found,  but  this  is  not  the 
case,  as  the  buildings  do  not  all  stand  apart  but  are  joined  in  various 
ways  and  in  some  cases  appear  to  full}-  coalesce,  whereas  in  other 
cases  there  are  omissions  of  single  buildings.  Three  types  of  arrange- 
ment may  be  illustrated:  In  <z,  Fig.  74,  a  simple  symmetric  quadrangle 


CZD 


1 

■  :::: 

i 


Fl 
F-i 


a  h  c 

Fig.  74.     Variations  in  Assemblage  of  the  Buildings  of  a  Quadrangle. 

a.  Separate  and  symmetric  placement  of  the  four  buildings. 

b.  Four  buildings  joined  at  the  inner  corners,  and  having  a  special  entrance  way. 

c.  Condensed  arrangement  with  special  entrance  way. 

is  shown  in  which  the  four  separate  buildings  inclose  a  court  open  at 
the  corners.  In  /'  the  four  buildings  are  joined  at  the  inner  angles, 
inclosing  the  court  with  a  continuous  wall.  There  may  be  combina- 
tions of  a  and  b  in  which  one,  two  or  three  of  the  corners  are  open. 
In  c  two  of  the  buildings  are  set  in  so  far  between  the  others  that  the 
structures  become  practically  a  single  structure  with  four  rooms, 
inclosing  a  court.      The  two  inserted  buildings  form  short  chambers. 


Fig.  75.    Assemblage  of  Quadrangles  in  Clusters. 

a.  Arroyo  group. 

b.  Group  of  the  Catholic  Establishment. 

Now  in  the  combination  of  these  quadrangles  into  clusters  other 
modifications  of  the  plan  take  place,  which  must  be  kept  in  mind  if 
a   clear  notion   of   the   ground   plan  is  to  be   secured.       In  a  wholly 


Feb.  1897.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  237 

independent  grouping  of  three  quadrangles  the  arrangement  could  be 
extremely  varied.  An  ordinary  placement  is  shown  in  a,  Fig.  75, 
but  combinations  may  be  made  as  indicated  in  f>,  where  two  adjoining 
quadrangles  make  use  of  one  building  in  common,  thus  eliding  one 
member.  The  only  example  that  needs  especial  explanation  is  that 
occurring  in  Group  II,  where  the  northern  quadrangle,  D,  is  not  only 
closed  completely,  as  shown  in  Fig.  93,  but  its  south  wall  becomes 
the  north  wall  of  the  adjoining  quadrangle  E,  and  the  combined 
structures,  connected  by  a  passageway,  become  practically  one  build- 
ing of  five  chambers,  and  as  such  they  have  generally  been  regarded. 
Proper  analysis  demands  that  each  of  these  chambers  be  treated  as  a 
member  of  a  quadrangle.  The  numbering  of  the  whole  series  of 
units  (see  map),  beginning  at  the  north — the  letters  belonging  to  the 
quadrangle  and  the  figures  to  the  buildings — will  be  as  follows:  A,  i, 
2,  3>  4;  B,  5,  6,  7,  o;  C,  S,  9,  10,  11;  D,  12,  13,  14,  15;  E,  16,  17,  18,  19: 
F,  20,  21,  22,  23;  G,  24,  25,  26,  27;  H,  28,  29,  3o(?),  31;  I,  32,  33,  34(?), 
35;  J>  36,  37,  3^»  39;   K,  40,  41,  42,  43;   L,  44,  45,  46(?),  47(?). 

The  diversity  in  the  arrangement  of  building  units  gave  rise  to- 
much  diversity  in  the  manner  of  securing  access  to  the  courts  and 
chambers,  as  shown  clearly  in  the  ground  plans.  There  is  practically 
no  exterior  doorway  in  Mitla.  Courts  were  entered  by  openings 
between  buildings  at  the  corners,  but  these  openings  were  not  treated 
as  doorways  since  the  corners  of  the  buildings  remained  normal. 
Courts  with  closed  walls  were  entered  by  narrow  passageways  from  an 
adjoining  open  court.  The  individual  buildings  were,  in  all  or  nearly 
all  cases,  entered  from  the  courts. 

As  indicated  in  the  plans,  the  buildings — keeping  the  fundamental 
unit  of  construction  in  view — are  long  and  narrow,  the  width  being 
limited  by  the  capacity  of  the  ceiling  span  to  a  single  beam  length — 
not  over  12  feet — or  to  two  beam  lengths — not  over  23  feet.  The 
duplicate  series  occurred  in  exceptional  cases  only.  The  length 
was  not  necessarily  limited.  The  greatest  exterior  width  is  about  30 
feet  (that  is  23  feet,  plus  the  thickness  of  the  two  walls),  and  the 
greatest  exterior  length  is  133  feet.  The  doorways  occur  singly  or  in 
groups  of  three.  The  only  other  features  of  any  particular  moment, 
appearing  on  the  plan,  are  the  columns  ranged  along  the  middle  of 
the  double-width  apartments,  the  poorly  defined  central  piles  of 
debris  in  the  courts,  and  the  strangely  arranged  subterranean  cham- 
bers of  building  20.  The  latter  will  be  illustrated  in  connection  with 
the  description  of  that  building. 

Profile  and  Construction.  In  viewing  these  buildings  I  am  con- 
strained to  believe  that  the  details  of  construction  must  have  been  well 


238 


Field  Columbian  Muskum — Anthroi'Ologv,   Vol.  i. 


made  out  before  the  foundations  were  laid  or  the  mason  began  to 
place  his  facing  of  cut  stone.  So  complex  and  varied  is  the  mural 
treatment  that  haphazard  work  is  out  of  the  question.  If  there  were 
no  elaborated  drawings  to  place  in  the  hands  of  the  mason  there  must 
have  been  at  least  a  master  mind  to  predetermine  the  general  treat- 
ment and  superintend  every  detail. 

The  walls  of  these  buildings  are  quite  as  massive  as  those  of 
Chiapas  and  Yucatan,  man}'  being  over  four  feet  in  thickness.  They 
are  carried  up  vertically,  or  nearly  so,  to  the  full  height  of  the  build- 
ing, and  are  faced  with  dressed  stone  or  with  plaster.  In  general  the 
treatment  of  the  exterior  walls  and  of  the  facades  proper  (which  look 
in  upon  the  courts)  is  much  the  same.  The  inner  walls  of  chambers  or 
halls  are  either  plastered  or  partly  or  wholly  covered  with  geometric 
mosaic-work.  Exterior  walls  are  not  broken  by  openings  of  any  kind. 
The  doorwa}s,  arranged  singl}-  or  in  threes,  occup}'  the  centers  of  the 
inner  facades,  so  that  entrance  is  obtained  from  the  courts.  In  three 
cases,  at  least,  closed  or  boxed  courts  were  entered  by  narrow  passage- 
ways from  contiguous  halls  of  adjoining  quadrangles,  as  best  expressed 
on  the  ground  plans. 


Fig.  76.     Transverse  Section  of  Building  of  Single  Beam  Span. 

The  beam  and  roof  are  restored  in  broken  lines.     Widtli,  10  feet. 

The  buildings  are  only  a  single  story  in  height  and  there  is  no 
trace  of  a  second  story  or  of  an  attempt  to  give  additional  effect  of 
height  by  means  of  false  fronts  or  roof-combs.  The  arch  was  not 
used  and  ceilings  and  roofs  were  flat.  In  constructing  the  roofs  the 
lateral  walls  were  connected  by  cross  beams  of  wood,  now  entirel)' 
obliterated,  or,  where  the  covered  space  was  ver}-  narrow,  by  slabs  of 


Feb.  1897. 


Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


239 


stone.  The  height  of  the  exterior  wall  rarely  reaches  15  feet,  and 
the  height  of  the  ceiling  was  seldom  over  12  feet.  The  roof  was 
3  or  4  feet  thick,  and  consisted  of  the  ceiling  timbers  overlain  by 
stone,  b}^  cross  timbers  or  by  pliable  vegetal  materials  covered  with 
rubble  and  cement.  The  roof  surface  appears  to  have  been  of  cement 
and  was  level  or  sloped  only  enough  to  give  necessary  drainage. 

The  entire  construction,  so  far  as  made  out,  is  clearly  shown  in 
Figs.  76  and  77,  and  details  of  the  roof,  which  must  remain  some- 
what conjectural,  are  indicated  in  dotted  lines.  Wheresingle  lengths 
of  beams  were  used,  as  in  Fig.  76,  the  chamber  or  hall  does  not  exceed 
12  feet  in  width.  Where  a  wider  space  was  desired  a  row  of  pillars  or 
columns  was  planted  along  the  middle  of  the  inclosure,  timbers  were 
laid  longitudinally  connecting  column  with  column,  and  other  tim- 
bers in  two  courses  were  laid  across  connecting  the  longitudinal 
series  with  the  sidewalls,  as  indicated  in  Fig.  77.      By  means   of  this 


Fig.  77.    Transverse  Section  of  Building  of  Double  Beam  Span. 

The  beams  and  roof  are  restored  in  broken  lines.    Width,  22  feet. 

device  at  least  three  of  the  halls  were  given  a  width  of  from  20  to  23 
feet,  and  the  width  between  the  columns  was  about  equal  to  the  space 
between  the  columns  and  the  lateral  walls — the  extent  of  a  beam 
span — so  that  these  halls  were  really  very  spacious,  though  necessa- 
rily low  and  gloomy.  So  far  as  I  could  determine  there  was  no  varia- 
tion from  the  arrangement  here  indicated.  Where  slabs  of  stone 
were  used  instead  of  the  wooden  beams  the  covered  spaces  were  lim- 
ited to  a  width  of  6  feet  or  less. 


240 


Field  Columbian  Muskum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 


Doorways.  The  door\va}s  of  the  Mitlan  buildings  are  in  no 
case  exterior  to  the  quadrangle  but  enter  from  the  courts.  They  are 
almost  always  central  to  the  building,  and  occur  singly  or  in  groups 
of  three,  according  to  the  length  or  importance  of  the  facade  to  which 
they  belong.  .\s  in  the  ]\Ia\'a  cities  there  are  no  indications  of  the 
emplo3'ment  of  fixed  doors  by  the  original  occupants.  The  opening 
is  not  so  large  as  in  the  Maya  structures;  the  height  never  exceeds 
7  feet  and  the  width  is  but  little  greater.  Though  somewhat  complex 
and  varied  in  effect  as  the  result  of  offsetting,  paneling  and  other  forms 
of  embellishment,  the  doorways  are  all  entirely  simple  in  construc- 
tion, involving  no  new  or  exceptional  principle  or  feature.  They 
embody  but  the  three  essential  members,  the  sill  or  floor,  the  vertical 
jambs  and  the  horizontal  lintel.  A  t3'pical  example  of  the  single  door- 
way, showing  details  of  construction,  is  illustrated  in  Fig.  78.      It  has 


Fig.  78.     Construction  of  Single  Doorway,  Employed  where  Space  was  Limited. 

This  example  leads  from  the  court  of  the  grecques  to  the  west  chamber,  a  and  d,  massive 
jambs;  c,  upper  undecorated  portion  of  lintel;  rt',  d,  stones  added  to  give  lintel-space  desired  length. 
Jamb-stone  on  left  side  restored.    Height  of  opening.  5  feet  5  inches. 

a  clear  cut  and  substantial  look  that  is  highly  pleasing.  The  lintel  is 
12  feet  6  inches  long,  2  feet  thick  and  3  feet  6  inches  through  from 
front  to  back.  It  is  paneled  on  the  exterior  or  front  face,  and  the 
sunken  surface  is  occupied  by  lines  of  beautifully  sculptured  fretwork; 
the  back  is  flat  and  flush  with  the  grecque-covered  chamber  wall  and 
is  sculptured  in  continuation  of  the  lower  zone  of  grecque  mosaic. 
As  indicated  in  the  drawing  the  great  stone  used  fell  a  little  short  of 


Feb.  1897. 


Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


241 


the  length  desired  for  the  lintel  panel  and  small  sfones  {d,  d)  were 
added  at  the  ends,  but  so  neatly  adjusted  that  it  is  difficult  to  detect 
the  joints.  On  the  under  side  of  the  lintel,  near  the  ends  of  the 
exposed  surface,  there  are  two  round  holes  a  few  inches  in  diameter 
and  depth,  probably  drilled  by  post-Columbian  occupants  for  the 
hanging  of  some  form  of  door.  The  jamb-stone  is  5  feet  5  inches 
high,  3  feet  7  inches  in  width,  and  16  inches  thick.  It  is  entirely 
plain,  save  that  at  the  base,  as  shown  in  the  figure,  there  is  a 
roughly  excavated  depression,  made  probably,  as  was  the  hole  in  the 
lintel  above,  to  aid  in  swinging  a  doorway.  The  faces  of  these  stones, 
where  protected  from  the  weather,  show  traces  of  a  very  thin  coating 
of  hard,  highly  polished  plaster.  The  sill  is  faced  with  dressed  stones 
set  on  edge  and  continuous  with  the  lower  course  of  the  wall ;  it  is 
about  7  inches  above  the  floor  of  the  court  in  front  and  on  a  level 
with  the  cement  floor  of  the  inner  room,  the  cement  coming  forward 
to  the  facing  stones.  The  mural  masonry  framing  in  the  doorway  and 
the  adjacent  panels  of  fretwork  is  indicated  at  the  right  and  left. 


Fig.  79.     Construction  of  Triple  Doorway,  One-half  Only  Being  Shown. 

a.    Lateral  jamb-stone  with  decorative  projection  at  right. 
d,c.    Pier  separating  doorways,  with  embellished  facing  of  cut  stone,  with   plastered  sides  (^) 
and  heavy  capstone  id). 

d.  Socket  in  capstone  for  porch  or  awning  beam. 

e.  Part  of  middle  lintel. 

f.  End  lintel. 

Height  of  opening,  6  feet  7  inches.    Full  length  of  lintel,  about  48  feet. 

In  the  larger  buildings  triple  doorways  were  used  (Fig.  79)  which 
occupy  the  center  of  the  facades  facing  the  courts.  The  builders  were 
evidently  ambitious  to  give  these  portals  a  superior  degree  of  impor- 
tance, and,  though  low  and  formal,  they   are  really  striking   features. 


242 


FiELP  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,   Vol.    i. 


In  appearance  they  present  marked  contrasts  with  the  Yucatec  por- 
tals, but  differ  little  in  general  characteristics  from  the  pillared 
doorways  of  Palenque.  The  only  really  great  feature  is  the  lintel, 
which  is  in  some  cases  upwards  of  50  feet  in  length.  It  is  invari- 
ably composed  of  three  sections  which  meet  over  the  piers,  the 
outer  ends  extending  several  feet  into  the  masonry  of  the  wall.  The 
lower  half  of  the  exterior  face  is  always  sunken  or  recessed  a  few 
inches,  and  is  occupied  by  sculptured  fretwork  or  by  painted  designs. 
The  front  and  under  surfaces  are  always  well  finished,  but  the  top, 
hidden  by  superincumbent  masonry,  is  left  unhewn.  In  the  pre- 
served examples  there  are  but  two  jamb-stones,  placed  one  at  the 
extreme  right  and  the  other  at  the  extreme  left,  while  the  piers 
are  built  up  of  hewn  blocks  without  and  plastered  masonry  within. 
The  lateral  and  inner  surfaces  of  the  piers  are  plain,  but  the  exterior 
face  is  varied  by  offsetting  and  paneling,  and  near  the  top  in  each 
case  a  hole  has  been  drilled,  probably  for  the  insertion  of  the  frame- 
work of  an  awning  or  roof  intended  to  shade  the  stairway  and 
entrance.'  The  jamb-stones  at  the  extreme  right  and  left  are  quite 
plain,  but,  as  indicated  in  the  drawing,  they  are  supplemented  on  the 
outer  side  by  a  peculiar  feature  which  repeats  in  a  measure  the  effect 
of  the  pier  fronts  and  gives  necessary  balance  to  the  effect.  The  piers 
are  in  all  cases  capped  with  large,  squarish  stones  supporting  the  lintel 
and  holding  together  the  masonry  beneath.  The  masonry,  framework 
and  mosaic  panels  surrounding  the  portals  are  of  the  usual  types  and 
are  well  illustrated  in  Plates  XXXI  and  XXXIV. 

Much  simpler  than  the  main  doorways  are  the  entrances   to   the 
dark  passageways  leading  into   the  boxed  courts.      These  accord   in 


Fig.  80.     Niche  in  the  Back  Wall  of  Principal  Halls. 

That  in  the  Hall  of  Six  Columns  is  30  indies  wide,  17  high  and  23  deep. 

Style  with  the  wall    into  which  they  are   introduced,   resembling  the 
single  doorway  described   above    when   penetrating  stone-faced  and 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  243 

paneled  walls,  and  framed  in  by  heavy  lintel  and  jamb-stones   when 
in  plastered  walls. 

The  only  additional  wall  variation,  aside  from  the  decorative 
features,  are  certain  niches  or  oblong,  rectangular  recesses  in  the  rear 
wall  of  the  chambers,  always  facing  the  entrance  and  5  or  6  feet  from 
the  floor.  They  are  about  2  feet  in  length,  18  inches  in  height  and 
20  inches  deep,  and  are  faced  with  dressed  blocks,  as  seen  in  Fig.  80. 
Their  use  is  a  matter  of  conjecture,  but  their  general  presence  and 
uniform  position  indicate  that  the  function  was  of  considerable 
moment.  Possibly  they  were  shrines  and  served  to  contain  some 
sacred  object — an  image  or  symbol — to  be  saluted  on  entering  the 
doorway. 

Columns.  In  Yucatan  round  columns  were  used  in  the  doorways 
forming  rudimentary  porticos  or  colonnades,  and  also  in  the  interior 
of  the  buildings  as  vault  supports.  In  Mitla  their  use  was  con- 
fined to  the  interior,  where  they  were  employed  chiefly  to  support  the 
horizontal  roof  timbers  of  the  wider  chambers.  There  are  but  three 
or  four  halls  so  wide  as  to  make  such  roof  supports  necessary,  and  in  ■ 
two  of  these — the  north  and  east  halls  of  the  Quadrangle  of  the 
Columns  —  the  fine  shafts  are  still  standing,  the  full  number — six — 
in  the  north  hall,  and  two  only  in  the  east  hall  where  there  were,  I 
believe,  originally  five.  All  the  missing  specimens  (supposing  there 
were  only  eleven  of  like  dimensions  in  the  city)  are  accounted  for  ;  one 
lies  in  the  court  near  the  west  side,  and  two  form  pillars  for  a  porch 
at  the  eastern  doorway  (modern)  of  the  quadrangle  now  occupied  as  a 
curacy.  These  columns  are  carved  from  massive  trachyte  and  are 
about  II  feet  in  length  above  ground  and  perhaps  15  or  16  feet  in  full 
length.  The  diameter  is  from  30  to  36  inches  below  and  falls  off  to 
from  20  to  24  inches  above.  In  cubic  dimensions  they  are  nearly 
equal  to  the  larger  lintel  stones,  having  a  weight  of  some  6  or  8 
ton.s.  They  are  ranged  along  the  center  of  the  hall,  and  doubtless 
supported  longitudinal  ceiling  timbers  upon  which  rested  the  inner 
ends  of  the  transverse  beams,  as  indicated  in  several  plates  and  figures. 
A  smaller  column  occurs  in  the  basement  chamber  in  quadrangle  F, 
where  it  supports  heavy  ceiling  slabs;   it  is  sho.wn  in  PI.  XXXVI. 

The  height  of  the  columns  in  the  Hall  of  the  Columns  (11  feet  to 
II  feet  4  inches)  is  not  quite  equal  to  that  of  the  lateral  walls  (appar- 
ently 12  to  13  feet),  but  the  longitudinal  beams,  which  we  suppose  to 
have  rested  upon  them,  would  bring  the  level  up  to  about  that  of  the 
walls,  thus  giving  a  uniform  level  for  the  cross  timbers.  It  is  not 
impossible  that  capstones  were  used  to  give  a  little  additional  height 
to  the  columns. 


244         Field  Coi.umiuan   Museum — Ax rHRoroLOG\-,   Vol.    i. 


Roof  Construction.  Considerable  speculation  has  been  indulged 
in  as  to  the  kind  of  ceiling  or  roof  support  employed,  but  a  close 
examination  of  the  remains  sufficiently  indicates  the  use  of  wooden 
beams.      Although   the  wood  is  gone  the  impression  of  the  rounded 


Fig.  81.  Use  (apparent)  of  Stone  for  Bridging  Spaces  between  Ceiling  Stones. 
side  of  one  of  the  logs  remains,  and  the  sockets  into  which  the  ends 
were  inserted  are  well  preserved.  These  features  are  shown  in  Figs. 
95  and  g6.  A  more  difficult  question  is  that  of  the  covering  of  the 
beams  and  the  nature  of  the  floor  upon  which  the  roof  of  rubble  or 


FiG.  82.    Theoretic  Roof  Construction. 

a.  Chamber  space  covered. 

d,  b.  Lateral  walls. 

c.  Wooden  beams  wi;h  covering  of  small  timbers  or  canes. 

d.  Superincumbent  roof  masonry  with  cement  surface. 

cement  rested.  Poles,  twigs  and  matting  have  been  suggested  and 
all  may  have  been  employed  though  no  trace  now  remains.  It  is 
observed  that  in  places  where  ceiling  stones  are  still  in  place  the  inter- 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  245 

spaces  show  nothing  but  loose  stones,  Fig.  81,  but  these  conditions 
are  just  such  as  would  result  from  the  decay  of  the  more  perishable 
parts  and  the  consequent  letting  down  of  the  superincumbent  masonry. 

The  drawing  presented  in  Fig.  82  is  intended  as  an  analysis  of 
the  roof  construction,  the  assumption  being  that  canes,  poles  or  twigs 
rather  than  stones  were  used  for  the  first  course  overlying  the  wooden 
beams.  Illustrations  of  some  details  of  roof  construction  appear  in 
connection  with  the  description  of  quadrangle  D  a  little  farther  on. 
It  is  presumed  that  a  bed  of  rubble  a  foot  or  two  thick  was  laid  on 
the  interlaced  vegetal  courses  and  that  coatings  of  cement  were  spread 
over  all,  forming  the  roof  surface.  But  the  portions  remaining  are  not 
sufficient  to  make  the  whole  construction  clear  and  we  are  at  a  loss  to 
say  whether  the  surface  was  level  or  whether,  as  suggested  by  some 
slight  remnants,  it  was  sloped  to  facilitate  drainage. 

Mural  Embellishment.  The  Mitlan  buildings  are  exceedingly 
formal  in  profile  as  well  as  in  ground  plan.  There  is  little  departure 
from  the  simple,  rectangular  mass  of  masonry  save  that  due  to  the 
doorways  and  the  little  niches  in  the  chamber  walls.  The  mosaic 
panels  and  the  minor  projections  and  recessings  that  serve  to  frame 
them  in  diversify  but  do  not  break  up  the  solid  facades;  the  relief  is 
nowhere  more  than  a  few  inches.  The  surfaces  were  uniformly 
covered  within  and  without  with  some  form  of  decorative  finish  and, 
though  the  chambers  were  necessarily  very  dark,  as  much  attention 
seems  to  have  been  given  them  as  to  the  most  prominent  facades. 
Three  methods  of  embellishment  were  employed  in  treating  the  walls, 
viz.:  Painting,  sculpture  and  mosaic.  So  far  as  we  know  stucco  was 
not  used  by  the  Mitlan  builders  in  the  modeling  of  relief  work  or 
statuary. 

Sculpture.  Sculpture  in  its  more  restricted  and  commonly 
accepted  sense  seems  to  have  been  tabooed  as  completely  as  if  a  priestly 
edict  had  been  promulgated  forever  prohibiting  it.  The  absence  of 
sculptured  life  forms  is  especially  remarkable  since  such  forms  were 
most  extensively  embodied  in  other  branches  of  Mitlan  art  work.  The 
several  fragments  of  painted  decoration  preserved  in  these  buildings 
consist  almost  exclusively  of  forms  of  animals  and  men,  and  in  a  style 
which  has  no  suggestion  of  the  formal  geometric  treatment  character- 
izing the  masonry  embellishments.  The  Zapotec  modeler  in  clay 
also  was  extremely  fond  of  life  forms,  and  treated  them  with  a  bold- 
ness not  svirpassed  anywhere  among  a  race  of  potters.  The  extensive 
use  of  life  forms  in  art  cannot,  therefore,  be  denied  the  builders  of 
Mitla.  A  few  fragments  of  low  relief  sculpture  employing  life  forms 
have  been  noticed  within  the  limits  of  the  present  village,  but  no  one 


246         Field  Columbian  Muskl.m — Anthropology,   Vol.    i. 

knows  their  origin  or  whether  or  not  they  have  any  connection  with 
the  ancient  buildings.  It  is  apparent  that  it  was  owing  to  no  lack  of 
capacity  on  the  part  of  these  peoples  that  sculpture  did  not  take  a 
place  of  importance.  When  the  surface  of  one  of  the  great  lintels 
was  to  be  finished  in  a  style  uniform  with  the  geometric  mosaics  of 
the  walls  in  w^hich  the  lintels  were  imbedded,  the  chisel  w-as  used  with 
excellent  effect. 

Mural  Mosaic-Work.  Perhaps  the  most  unique  and  remarkable 
feature  of  the  Mitlan  buildings  is  the  fretwork  decoration  of  the  walls. 
It  is  found  at  present  in  two  groups  only — those  of  the  Catholic  Estab- 
lishment and  of  the  Columns:  but  it  was  probably  employed  in  all  the 
others,  and  I  found  some  small  cut  stones  of  the  kind  used  in  the 
mosaics  among  the  debris  of  the  Arroyo  group. 

The  fretwork  designs  are  purely  geometric,  yet  they  are  wonder- 

a  I 


^%:^%^^^l^;i  t- 


1 


Fig.  83.     Continuity  of  Paneled  Zones  Around  the  Buildings. 

The  dotted  lines  a  and  b  indicate  the  corners.  The  profile  at  the  right  is  the  corner  profile; 
c  is  the  middle  panel  of  the  wall  a,  b ;  d  and  e  are  the  associated  panels,  and/i/  and  g.  g  are  the 
corner  blocks,  the  parts/and^  belonging  with  the  wall  a.b  and  the  parts/  and  5-  belonging  to  the 
adjoining  walls.  It  is  thus  seen  that  the  corner  blocks  are  merely'  blank  panels,  though  shorter  than 
the  panels  proper:  the  meandering  course  of  stone,  //,  h,  incloses  them  precisely  as  it  does  the  cor- 
responding, decorated  panels.  The  simplicity  and  consistency  of  the  mural  decorative  work  is  thus 
clearly  shown, 

i.    Terrace  face. 

j.    Esplanade. 

k.    Two  plain  courses  of  stones  at  base  of  wall. 

/.    Lower  paneled  zone. 
m.    Middle  paneled  zone. 

n.    Upper  paneled  zone. 

The  coping  courses  are  missing. 

fully  varied  and  attractive.  They  are  arranged  in  formal  panels, 
covering  the  exterior  surface  of  the  buildings,  and  on  interior  surfaces 
are  in  panels  or  in  continuous  bands  encircling  the  chambers. 


■^•'* 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  247 

Before  taking  up  the  decorated  panels  in  detail  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  consider  the  treatment  of  the  walls  as  a  whole,  and  to  examine 
the  remarkable  masonry  framework  with  which  the  panels  are  sur- 
rounded. It  is  not  known  to  what  extent  the  facings  of  the  sub- 
structures were  embellished,  as  all  are  almost  wholly  destroyed, 
but  it  is  probable  that  some  were  of  rough  stonework  plastered, while 
others  were  of  hewn  stone,  varied  more  or  less  by  moldings,  offset- 
tings  and  possibly  by  cofferings.  The  exterior  walls  of  the  better 
preserved  buildings,  as  well  as  the  facades  overlooking  the  courts, 
were  occupied  by  three  ranges  or  lines  of  oblong,  horizontal  panels 
of  mosaic  fretwork.  Below,  between  and  above  the  horizontal  rows 
of  panels,  there  are  certain  courses  of  the  facing  that  extend  entirely 
around  the  building  without  break  or  deflection;  while  one  course  is 
deflected  in  such  a  way  as  to  partially  inclose  the  panels  framing  them 
in  as  illustrated  in  Fig.  83.  It  will  be  seen  by  reference  to  the  draw- 
ing that  the  corner  blocks,  which  form  a  most  striking  feature  of  the 
mural  treatment,  are  merely  undecorated  panels  filled  out  to  give 
solidity  to  the  angles  of  the  building. 

Much  diversity  in  the  effect  was  given  by  setting  some  lines  of 
this  framework  in  and  others  out — as  shown  in  the  profile — as  well  as 
by  variations  in  proportions  resulting  from  differences  in  length 
between  the  members  of  the  various  zones  of  panels.  Variations  are 
more  marked  in  facades  broken  by  doorways.  Where  there  are  triple 
openings  the  decorated  lintel  panel  is  very  long  and  has  over  it  a  grand 
panel  of  mosaic,  as  seen  in  the  facade  of  the  Hall  of  the  Six  Columns, 
PI,  XXXI.  In  the  faces  of  piers  between  doorways,  short,  narrow 
panels  are  framed  in,  and  on  short  wall  spaces — as  in  the  ends  of  the 
buildings — single  panels  extend  the  full  length  of  the  wall  surface. 
A  study  of  the  sections  given  in  several  figures  will  make  clear  the 
numerous  eccentric  features  of  profile,  notable  among  which  are 
variations  in  batter  or  pitch  of  the  courses  of  stonework.  The  general 
effect  of  the  profile,  as  seen  at  the  corners  of  the  buildings,  is  that  of 
considerable  inclination  outward  in  ascending,  but  a  plumb-line 
reduces  this  to  a  very  few  inches,  the  effect  of  overhanging  being  due 
largely  to  the  decided  inward  pitch  of  the  wide  course  of  stones  next 
the  base.  The  exact  nature  of  the  finish  at  the  top — the  coping — 
cannot  be  determined,  as  one  or  more  courses  have  been  lost  all 
around. 

The  geometric  fretwork  mosaics  of  the  seruins  must  always  stand 
as  one  of  the  most  noteworthy  features  of  our  native  architecture;  yet 
the  work  differs  from  the  mural  treatment  of  Yucatan  in  subject  matter 
rather  than  in  kind,  for  the  decorated  surfaces  there,  though  depicting 


248         FiF.i.D  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,    Vol.    i. 

animal  forms,  are  mosaics  in  the  sense  that  they  are  made  up  of 
separate  hewn  or  carved  stones  set  in  mortar  to  form  ornamental 
designs. 

In  the  Mitlan  buildings  there  are  about  150  panels  of  mosaic, 
aside  from  the  continuous  panels  of  the  four  grecque  chambers  of 
quadrangle  D.      The  greatest  width   of   panel   is   about  2  feet  and   the 


Fig.  84.     Mosaic  Patterns — Angular  Forms. 

greatest  length  about  30  feet.  The  designers  had  only  a  limited 
number  of  motives  to  draw  upon,  but  considerable  taste  was  shown 
in  the  arrangement  of  these  in  various  combinations  to  suit  the  spaces 
and  to  give  diversity  of  effect.  Alternation  of  motives  was  attended 
to,  and  although  there  is  nowhere  entire  symmetry,  care  was  taken 
that  panels  with  like  designs  should  be  kept  apart.      Of  the  elements 


Feb.  1897. 


Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


249 


employed  I  may  mention  the  meander,  mostly  or  always  used  as  a 
stem  for  other  more  highly  specialized  elements;  the  diamond,  always 
stepped  and  always  pleasing  in  its  diaper-like  effects;  the  S-shaped 
curve  connected  by  stepped  or  curved  stems;  and  the  curved  or  angu- 
lar hook  set  upon  angular  stems  in  a  great  variety  of  ways.  Each  unit 
of  the  curved  forms  is  necessarily  cut  to  the  curve  while  the  angular 
forms  are  as  a  rule  set  up  from  small  blocks.  As  it  is  impossible  to 
convey  a  complete  notion  of  these  ornaments  without  illustrations,  a 
number  of  the  forms  are  assembled  in  Figs.  84  and  85.      A  somewhat 


y^ 


1 


Fig.  85      Mosaic  Patterns — Angular  and  Curved  Forms. 


analogous  use  of  similar  geometric  motives  in  mural  embellishment  is 
found  in  the  "Hall  of  the  Arabesques"  at  Gran  Chimu,  Peru,  but  it 
is  to  be  noted  that  the  same  elements  occur  in  the  textile  and  ceramic 
arts  of  many  of  the  more  cultured  American  nations.  Of  course  the 
stepped  line  so  constantly  recurring  is  a  purely  mechanical  product 
resulting  from  the  use  of  squared  blocks  in  representing  oblique  lines. 
I  have  been  unable  to  find  any  trace  of  graphic  elements  in  these  Mitlan 


250  FiF.i.i)  Cdlu.mp.ian   Muselm — A^••l■HR0lH)I.O(;^ ,   Vol.    1. 

figures  or  tlie  least  suggestion  that  they  were  in  any  way  significant. 
Of  course  it  is  not  impossible  that  all  the  motives  were  symbolic  and 
served  to  suggest  to  the  builders  some  mythologic  conception  appro- 
priate to  the  building  or  place.  I  have  even  been  led  to  surmise,  in 
view  of  the  universality  of  symbolism  in  the  native  art,  that  possibly 
the  decorated  panels  extending  around  the  buildings  represent  the 
markings  of  the  body  of  a  serpent  deity,  and  that  the  doorways  with 
their  teeth-like  pillars  stand  for  the  mouth  of  the  creature. 


Fig.  86. 


Insertion  of  Stones  with  Curved  Portions  of  the  Design  Carved 
UPON  their  surfaces. 


The  execution  of  this  work  is  perhaps  its  most  interesting  fea- 
ture. The  panels  in  which  the  fretwork  is  set  are  all  shallow,  the 
framework  rarely  extending  more  than  two  or  three  inches  forward 
from  the  face  of  the  design,  and  the  design  is  not  relieved  more  than 
an  inch  and  a  half  from  its  background.  The  bits  of  trachyte  were  cut 
into  convenient  sizes  and  shapes,  and  were  deep  enough  to  be  set 
firmly  in  the  plaster  backing.  The  inserted  ends  are  often  tooth-like, 
and  the  tapering  point  or  root  is  from  one  to  six  inches  in  length.     It 


Fig.  87.     Stones  of  Eccentric  Shape  Used  w^here  Designs  Turn  Corners 

OF  Chambers. 

(7,a.    Corner  of  chamber. 
A.     Corner  piece,  shown  on  larger  scale  in  figure  at  left. 

is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  the  pieces  of  stone  were  not  reduced  to  uni- 
form shapes  and  sizes  to  be  laid  up  as  brickwork,  but  each  individual 
stone  was  cut  and  fitted  to  its  place  in  the  design  as  the  work  went  on. 


Feb.   1897.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


25^ 


This  is  especially  noticeable  in  cases  where  a  curved  bit  of  design  was 
to  be  inserted  (Fig.  86).  The  S-shaped  portion  was  carved  in  relief 
on  a  large  piece,  and  this  was  fitted  into  place  among  its  smaller 
neighbors  by  notching  the  edges.  Another  example  is  shown  in  Fig. 
87  which  illustrates  the  method  of  connecting  the  figures  of  the  side 
and  end  of  a  chamber  without  joint  at  the  corner.  To  show  the 
rather  haphazard  fitting  in  of  the  stones  employed  in  forming  a  line  of 
fretwork  I  have  prepared  PI.  XXX,  in  which  the  discrepancies 
between  the  blocks  of  stone  and  the  elements  of  the  design  are  made 
apparent.  The  tissue  sheet  contains  the  diagram  of  the  separate 
stones  of  the  mosaic,  and  should  be  laid  upon  the  sheet  containing 
the  design.  The  relation  of  the  panels  to  the  framework,  the  embed- 
ding of  the  tiles  and  other  details  are  well  shown  in  the  section,  PI. 
XXXV.  Several  examples  of  the  simpler  dentate  stones  of  the  mosaic 
are  outlined  in  Fig.  88.     The  number  of  these  stones  used — all  care- 


FiG.  88.     Forms  of  Ordinary  Dentate  Stones  Used  in   Mural  Mosaics. 


fully  cut  and  fitted — is  very  great.  A  single  room  in  the  Quadrangle  of 
the  Grecques  contains  over  13,000,  and  the  whole  cluster  of  buildings 
must  have  contained  nearl}'  ten  times  that  number.  These  mosaic 
stones  are  made  of  fine  grained  trachyte,  and — although  the  rock  is 
rather  soft — the  amount  of  labor  required  to  block  them  out  and  cut 
and  dress  their  surfaces  can  hardly  be  justly  estimated. 

There  is,  and  will  for  the  present  remain,  a  question  as  to  the 
exact  manner  in  which  the  surfaces  of  these  small  stones  were 
finished.  Possibly  the  green  stone  celts,  found  occasionally  about 
the  ruins,  were  used.  Possibly  the  flint  hammer-stones,  occurring  in 
great  numbers,  were  employed,  though  pecking  operations  would  be 
difficult  where  the  bits  of  stone  were  never  more  than  a  few  inches  in 
their  greatest  dimensions.  It  ma}'  be  that  the  surfaces  were  evened 
up  and  finished  by  grinding. 

Plaster,  Cement.  It  is  not  known  where  the  Alitlan  builders 
obtained  their  lime,  but  it  will  probably  be  found  that  suitable  lime- 
stone for  burning  outcrops  somewhere  in  the  valley.  It  does  not 
appear  that  lime  was  much  used  in  the  construction  of  foundations 


252         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropolo(;v,   Vol.    i. 

aud  walls  of  buildings,  for  the  adobe  mortar  was  well  adapted  to 
this  purpose;  but  the  cement  employed  in  laying  floors,  and  the 
piaster  used  in  facing  up  walls,  was  of  excellent  quality.  The  best 
example  of  cement  flooring  is  found  in  the  South  Side  Group  where 
the  three  terraces  of  the  great  pyramid  have  had  floors  of  unusual 
solidity.  The  mass  of  the  mound  is  composed  of  earth  or  adobe 
and  irregular  stones.  The  surface  to  be  concreted  was  first  leveled 
up  with  rubble  cement,  from  4  to  6  inches  thick,  and  then  upon  this 
a  surface  layer  of  fine  cement  from  i  to  2  inches  thick  was  laid. 
So  tenacious  are  these  floors  that  where  the  supporting  mass  has 
crumbled  away,  they  stand  out  in  places  2  or  3  feet  from  the  sides  of 
the  mound,  and  slabs  several  feet  in  length,  4  or  5  feet  in  width  and 
7  or  8  inches  thick,  have  descended  to  the  base  without  breaking  up. 
As  there  has  been  some  post-Spanish  occupation  of  these  structures 
it  is  probably  not  quite  safe  to  assign  all  remaining  features  to  the 
ancients,  but  this  cement  work  may,  I  believe,  be  justly  attributed  to 
them.  The  surfaces  of  floors  and  walls  were  usually  well  smoothed 
and  often  in  parts  polished. 

Painting.  The  art  of  painting  was  extensively  and  tastefully 
practiced  by  the  ancient  builders.  As  a  finish  for  architectural 
surfaces  color  was  used  ever3'where,  a  thickish,  pasty  distemper  of 
several  hues  having  been  applied  to  plain  and  decorated  surfaces 
alike,  to  stonework  as  well  as  to  plastered  walls  and  cemented 
floors.  The  colors  used  were  largely  white  and  red.  with  all  grades 
of  paler  tints  made  by  mixing  these  colors  in  various  proportions. 
Other  colors  are  rarely  seen.  The  painted  surfaces  about  doors  and 
passageways  have  been  in  man)'  cases  highly  polished — no  doubt  b}' 
rubbing.  It  would  seem  a  superfluity  to  paint  the  beautifull}'  finished 
and  jointed  stonework,  especially  where  it  embodies  relief  work  of 
complex  design,  but  it  is  apparent  that  this  was  done,  and  nearly  all 
the  scores  of  grecque  figured  panels  show  traces  of  pale  red  tones, 
mostly  laid  over  a  priming  of  cream  or  white.  The  amount  of  work 
involved  was  very  great,  but  these  strange  peoples  were  evidentl}'  not 
averse  to  labor.  The  origin  of  the  colors  is  not  known,  but  they  were 
probably  composed  largely  of  lime  or  the  natural  earths  of  the  vicinity 
mixed  with  iron  oxides. 

Painted  Designs.  It  seems  also  to  have  been  a  common  practice 
to  finish  certain  important  surfaces,  such  as  those  of  lintels  and 
door  jambs,  in  elaborate  designs,  not  geometric  in  character  as  were 
the  relief  wall  decorations,  but  consisting  of  life  forms  more  or 
less  conventionally  treated.  Good  examples  of  this  work  are  seen  on 
the  lintels  of  the  northern  or  Catholic  Establishment  group,  and  on 


Feb.  1897.         Ancient 'Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


253 


those  of  the  Arroyo  group  below.  Slight  traces  of  similar  work  are 
seen  in  other  places.  The  surface  of  the  stone,  though  reasonably 
smooth,  was  not  used  for  the  designs  but  a  ground  of  light  gray  color 
was  applied  and  polished,  giving  a  hard,  even  surface  easily  drawn 
upon  with  the  brush.  The  work  in  the  two  groups  is  much  alike  save 
in  subject  matter  and  in  minor  details  of  manipulation.  All  are  painted 
on  the  recessed  panels  of  the  lower  half  of  the  lintel  faces.  A  small 
portion  of  the  design  from  the  lintel  on  the  north  side  of  the  court 
now  used  as  a  stable  by  the  Catholic  establishment  is  given  in  Fig. 
89,  and  a  like  bit  from  the  north  lintel  in  the  southern  court  of  the 
Arroyo  group  is  presented  in  Fig.  90.      Although  I  made  pretty  careful 


Fig.  89.     Small  Sections  of  Painted  Design  from  Lintel  in  the  Catholic 
Establishment  Group. 

The  outlines  and  background  are  in  dark  red,  the  design  being  left  in  the  gray  ground  color. 

drawings  of  these  particular  portions  of  the  designs,  because  they 
seemed  thoroughly  representative,  I  found  the  copies  published  by 
Dr.  Seler*  more  complete,  showing  portions  now  obliterated,  and  my 
illustrations  are  therefore  traced  from  his  work.  Although  the  Seler 
reproductions  are  excellent  and  give  a  clear  idea  of  the  designs,  they 
hardly  do  full  justice  to  the  originals,  especially  those  of  the  northern 
group,  which  are  executed  with  the  greatest  precision  and  neatness, 
the  handling  of  the  brush  being  that  of  a  master.  The  space  to  be  dec- 
orated was  first  coated  with  thick  whitish-gray  paint  which  was  well 
polished  down,  then  the  elaborate  design  was  worked  out  in  dark  red 
lines  and  further  developed  by  painting  in  the  background  in  dark 
red,  thus  leaving  the  figures  glowing  in  the  ground  color.     The  draw- 

*  Seler,  Dr.  Eduard.    Wandmalereien  von  Mitla,  Berlin,  iSgs. 


254         Field  Columbian  Museu.m — Anthropology,   Vol.    i. 

iiigs  all  show  the  remarkable  mythologic  subjects  and  peculiar 
style  of  convention  characterizing  certain  of  the  ancient  Mexican 
codices  or  books  so  well  reproduced  b\'  Kingsborough.  The  frag- 
ment shown  includes  at  the  right  a  human  figure  wearing  a  strongly 
drawn  grotesque  animal  mask,  and  at  the  left  a  house  or  temple  with 
high  peaked  roof  over  which  extends  the  body  of  a  highly  conven- 
tionalized serpent. 

The  paintings  seen  in  the  Arroyo  group  occupy  the  lintels  of  the 
southern  quadrangle  and  are  preserved  only  along  the  upper  margin 
of  the  lintel  recess  where  protected  from  the  weather.  The  whole 
area  in  each  of  the  lintels,  some  30  feet  long  by  12  inches  high,  was 
prepared  as  in  the  other  buildings  by  applying  a  coat  of  grayish  color 
and  giving  it  a  high  polish.      The   figures  were  then   painted  directly 


Fig.  90.     Small  Portion  of  Painted  Design   from  a  Lintel  Panel  in  the 

Arroyo  Group. 

Lines  in  dark  red  on  a  pale  gray  ground. 


on  this  in  dark  red  lines  with  a  free  and  rather  careless  hand.  The 
execution  seems  somewhat  inferior  to  that  in  the  other  group,  but  the 
designs  are  equally  elaborate  and  interesting.  At  the  left,  in  the 
fragment  reproduced.  Fig.  go,  there  is  a  calendar  like  figure,  which 
connects  with  other  partially  preserved  figures  on  all  sides.  Above 
is  a  border  of  lines  and  dots,  interrupted  by  the  calendar  figure  and 
at  regular  intervals  b}'  abbreviated  figures  facing  downward.  Below  is 
a  human  figure,  placed  with  the  head  toward  the  calendar  device  and 
facing  downward.  This  personage  rests  on  one  knee  and  grasps 
portions  of  the  complex  devices  with  his  left  hand.  The  left  foot  is 
replaced  by  a  unique  device.  Seler,  the  foremost  scholar  in  this  field 
of  research,  has  dwelt  upon  the  significance  of  these  remarkable  delin- 
eations, rendering  discussion  on  my  part  quite  superfluous. 


Feb.   1897. 


Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


255 


The  position  of  these  interesting  remnants  is  shown  in  Fig.  gi, 
which  is  a  sketch  of  what  is  left  of  the  north  facade  of  the  south  court 
of  the  Arroyo  group. 


Fig.  91.     Sketch  of  the  Painted  Lintels,  Arroyo  Group. 

The  painted  figures  occupy  the  surface  marked  c.     Full  length  of  lintel  about  ,'^o  feet. 

Not  the  least  remarkable  thing  about  these  paintings  is  that  they 
have  stood  exposed  to  the  open  air  and  largely  to  the  full  force  of  the 
elements,  without  loss  of  surface  or  freshness  of  tint,  for  a  long  period 
of  years.  The  only  protection  was  afforded  by  the  slight  projection 
of  the  upper  part  of  the  lintel  (tf). 

GROUP  OF  THE  CATHOLIC  ESTABLISHMENT.  This  group  of 
buildings  is  seen  at  the  right  in  the  panorama  and  is  long,  low  and 
monotonous  in  appearance.  It  is  seen  also  in  the  distance  in  PI. 
XXXIII.  The  ground  plan  cannot  be  fully  made  out  on  account  of 
the  destruction  of  portions  of  the  walls  and  the  covering  up  of  other 
portions  by  the  Catholic  establishment,  but  it  undoubtedly  includes 
three  coalescent  or  closely  associated  quadrangles  of  medium  size, 
each  being  represented  by  its  squarish  court  and  such  of  the  inclos- 
ing structures  as  have  not  been  destroyed.  The  ground  plan  given 
on  the  accompanying  map  is  too  small  to  show  details  clearly,  but  is 
as  accurate  as  could  be  made  without  better  facilities  for  examination 
than  are  now  afforded.  The  roofs  have  wholly  disappeared  save 
perhaps  a  small  portion  covering  in  the  narrow  passageway  that  gives 
admission  to  the  northern  court. 

The  walls  of  the  buildings  are  generally  between  3  and  4  feet 
thick;  they  are  rarely  much  more  than  12  feet  in  height  and  there  is 
nowhere  any  sign  of  a  second  story.  The  interior  or  body  of  the 
walls  is  built  of  rough  stone,  laid  often  with  considerable  regularit}- 
in  coarse  adobe  mortar.  The  surfaces  are,  or  were,  faced  with  blocks 
of  cut  stone  or  were  finished  in  plaster.  The  exterior  walls,  and  also 
those  facing  the  courts,  were  handsomely  finished  with  panels  of  fret- 
work in  relief  framed  in  with  courses  of  hewn  stone.      The  doors  are 


256         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,   Vol.    i. 

all  large  and  the  jambs,  lintels  and  pillar  caps  are  usually  of  hand- 
somely cut  stones  of  large  size. 

The  north  quadrangle  (A  on  the  map  and  in  the  panorama)  has  a 
court  about  52  feet  square,  now  used  as  a  stable.  The  inner  walls  of 
the  four  buildings  inclosing  the  court  coalesce  at  the  corners,  and 
still  stand  to  nearly  their  full  height;  but  the  outer  walls  of  the  east, 
north  and  west  structures  are  almost  obliterated.  The  building  on 
the  north  was  entered  from  the  court  by  three  fine  doorways,  and 
those  of  the  east  and  west  by  one  door  each;  all  are  closed  by  masonry 
and  partiall}'  buried  in  debris.  The  south  building,  which  adjoins 
and  has  one  wall  in  common  with  the  north  building  of  the  middle 
quadrangle,  is  entered  by  a  single  door  and  has  been  so  much  remod- 
eled for  stabling  purposes  that  I  am  not  sure  of  the  correctness  of  the 
plan  as  given,  particularly  at  the  west  end. 

The  court  of  this  north  quadrangle  was  entered  from  the  north 
hall  or  building  of  the  middle  quadrangle  by  a  narrow,  crooked  and 
dark  passage  in  the  same  manner  as  were  the  northern  courts  of  the 
two  other  triple  groups  of  quadrangles,  (see  ground  plans).  For  con- 
venience of  stable  use  doorways  have' been  cut  directly  through  the 
walls  of  the  two  chambers  separating  the  north  and  middle  courts. 
The  walls  of  this  court  are  finished  in  handsome  panels  of  fretwork, 
but  the  most  notable  features  are  the  painted  lintels  over  the  door- 
ways of  the  north  and  east  walls.  The  lower  half  of  the  lintel  sur- 
faces, protected  by  the  projecting  upper  part,  still  retains  considerable 
portions  of  the  skillfully  painted  designs  already  described  in  some 
detail  and  illustrated  in  Fig.  8g. 

The  middle  quadrangle  (B)  is  occupied  as  a  curacy  and  is  appar- 
ently wanting  in  a  south  building,  the  court,  which  is  about  60  feet 
square,  being  inclosed  on  that  side  by  the  back  wall  of  the  north 
building  of  the  adjoining  south  cluster.  The  northeast  corner  of  the 
latter  building  is  separated  from  the  southwest  corner  of  the  east 
building  of  quadrangle  (B)  by  a  space  some  two  feet  wide.  This  is  now 
closed  by  a  modern  wall,  but  appears  to  have  afforded  a  means  of 
entrance  to  the  middle  and  thus  also,  through  the  dark  passageway, 
to  the  north  quadrangle.  As  none  of  the  buildings  have  doorways 
exterior  to  the  quadrangle,  admittance  into  the  courts  must  have  been 
obtained  b}^  some  such  opening  as  this.  The  construction  of  the  cor- 
responding features  on  the  west  side  is  obscured  by  changes  made  in 
preparing  the  rooms  for  residence.  As  seen  in  the  panorama  this 
middle  quadrangle  is  now  entered  by  a  modern  doorway  on  the  east 
side,  in  front  of  which  stand  two  round  columns  forming  with  the 
wooden  roof  a  kind  of  portico.      The  columns  were  probably  obtained 


Feb.  1897.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Hollies.  257 

from  one  of  the  halls  of  the  Group  of  the  Columns  below,  as  none  of 
the  chambers  in  the  northern  group  appear  to  be  wide  enough  to  have 
made  the  use  of  columns  necessary  as  roof  supports.  The  exterior 
eastern  walls  and  the  walls  facing  the  court  have  the  usual  panels  of 
mosaic. 

The  Quadrangle  of  the  Church  (C)  forming  the  south  member  of 
the  group,  is  represented  by  portions  of  the  east  and  south  build- 
ings, well  shown  in  the  panorama,  and  by  the  northern  member.  The 
west  building,  if  such  ever  existed, has  been  destroyed  or  built  into  the 
walls  of  the  church.  The  length  of  the  east  building  is  88  feet  on  the 
exterior,  and  it  is  therefore  probable  that  the  court,  now  occupied  by 
the  church,  was  upwards  of  80  feet  square.  The  lintels  of  the  door- 
ways opening  from  this  building  into  the  court  are  barely  visible 
above  the  mass  of  rubbish. 

GROUP  OF  THE  COLUMNS.  In  the  immediate  foreground  of 
the  panorama  we  look  down  upon  the  Group  of  the  Columns.  Its 
well-preserved  buildings  are  the  pride  of  Mitla  and  are  among  the  most 
unique  and  remarkable  of  the  many  architectural  remains  of  Mexico-. 
This  group,  like  the  northern  one,  is  composed  of  three  quadrangles 
and,  theoretically,  at  least,  of  twelve  buildings  or  their  representa- 
tives. Two  of  the  quadrangles  are  large  and  one  is  small.  The 
middle  one  I  shall  call  the  Quadrangle  of  the  Columns  (E);  the  south- 
ern, the  Quadrangle  of  the  Subterranean  Galleries  (F),  and  the  north- 
ern the  Quadrangle  of  the  Grecques  (D).  The  latter  does  not  stand 
alone,  but  is  coalescent  with  the  Hall  of  the  Six  Columns — the  north 
building  of  the  middle  quadrangle  (E);  and  the  four  structures  are 
joined  in  such  a  way  that  they  become  so  many  chambers  of  a  single 
structure  inclosing  a  court. 

I  will  not  attempt  to  present  a  fully  detailed  analysis  of  the  many 
interesting  features  of  this  group  of  quadrangles,  but  content  myself 
with  a  descriptive  sketch  of  each  quadrangle  and  the  presentation  of 
several  sections  and  drawings  illustrating  points  in   construction. 

Quadrangle  of  the  Columns.  A  glance  at  the  accompanying 
map  will  show  the  relations  of  this  quadrangle  to  its  associated  quad- 
rangles on  the  north  and  south.  Its  court  (E),  a  shallow  dish-like 
area  about  150  feet  from  east  to  west  and  a  little  less  from  north  to 
south,  is  bordered  by  the  well-preserved  Hall  of  the  Six  Columns  (16) 
on  the  north  and  the  three  ruined  structures  (17,  18,  ig)  on  the  other 
sides.  Originally  the  court  was  probably  nearly  or  quite  level;  it 
was  inclosed  by  the  four  steep  faces  of  the  platforms  supporting  the 
buildings,  and  these  platforms  were  joined  or  but  little  separated  at 
the  corners  and  finished,  no  doubt,  with   hewn   stone.       It  is   reason- 


2^S         Field  Coi.lmbiax  Museum— Anthropoi.ogv,   Vol.    i. 

able  to  suppose  that  broad  stairways  of  cut  stone  led  up  to  the  build- 
ings from  the  court,  and  possibly  in  the  middle  of  the  space  there 
was  a  shrine  or  small  structure  of  some  kind,  as  in  very  many  similar 
courts  in  the  Oaxacan  province.  There  are  now,  however,  no  traces 
of  these  features,  and  the  only  thing  left  to  relieve  the  smooth  sur- 
face of  the  court  is  a  broken,  half-buried  column  near  the  west  side, 
where  it  has  rolled  down  probably  from  the  east  building. 

The  east  building  (17),  which  appears  in  the  immediate  fore- 
ground of  the  panorama,  is  so  well  preserved  that  its  character  and 
dimensions  can  be  accurately  determined.  The  terrace  or  platform  is 
about  6  feet  high  at  the  north  end,  and  10  or  12  feet  high  at  the  south 
end.  It  is  much  broken  down  about  the  margins,  and  is  not  far 
from  120  feet  long  and  30  feet  wide  at  the  top.  The  building  probably 
fell  a  little  short  of  these  dimensions.  Remnants  of  the  walls  stand 
toward  the  south  end  to  the  height  of  10  feet,  but  the  facing  is  all 
gone,  leaving  the  rough  masonry  wall  or  hearting  exposed  and  totter- 
ing. The  middle  opening  of  the  triple  doorway,  rendered  stable  by 
its  heavv  piers  and  massive  though  shattered  lintel,  is  still  stand- 
ing. At  the  north  end,  where  the  walls  are  entirely  removed,  the 
margins  of  the  cement  floor,  which  was  polished  and  painted  red, 
outcrop  from  the  heap  of  debris.  The  chamber  was  upwards  of  20  feet 
wide,  and  its  roof  was  supported  along  the  middle  by  a  line  of  five 
columns,  two  of  which  still  stand.  The  others  have  been  removed; 
one  lies  in  the  court,  and  two  form  pillars  for  a  porch  to  the 
curate's  residence,  as  alread}-  described.  Some  writer  has  stated  that 
still  another  column  stands  in  front  of  a  building  in  south  Mitla,  but 
I  was  not  able  to  confirm  this. 

The  west  building,  now  represented  by  an  oblong,  mound-like 
mass,  was  evidently  nearly  identical  with  that  on  the  east.  The 
cement  floor  is  still  preserved  to  nearly  its  full  dimensions,  and  upon 
this  are  piled  up  portions  of  the  debris  of  the  superstructure.  A  care- 
ful examination  of  the  floor  surface  would  show  us  whether  or  not 
columns  were  formerly  planted  along  the  middle,  but  from  the  very 
considerable  width  of  the  floor,  which,  unfortunately,  I  failed  to 
measure,  it  seems  that  columns  may  have  been  required  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  roof. 

The  south  structure  is  in  a  still  more  advanced  state  of  ruin,  and 
is  divided  near  the  middle  b}'  a  depression,  possibly  of  recent  excava- 
tion, through  which  access  is  gained  to  the  court.  The  original  walls 
of  the  terrace,  minus  the  cut  stone  facing  which  probably  covered 
them,  are  preserved  at  the  east  and  west  ends,  and  partly  on  the 
south,  to  nearly  the  full  height.      There  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that 


Pl.  XXXI.    Facade  of  Hall  of  Six  Columns. 


This  view  is  made  up  of  three  photographs  taken  from  as  many  points  near 
the  southern  margin  of  the  court.  The  negatives  vary  slightly  in  scale,  and  the 
continuity  of  horizontal  lines  is  interfered  with  as  seen  in  the  lower  course  of 
masonry,  though  the  defect  has  been  partially  remedied  by  retouching.  The  full 
length  of  the  building  is  133  feet  and  the  height  in  places  is  upwards  of  14  feet. 
The  full  height  was  probably  not  far  from  16  feet,  as  two  or  three  courses  of  the 
coping  stones  must  have  been  removed.  The  stairway  and  the  low,  narrow 
esplanade  that  extended  along  the  front  are  nearly  obliterated  or  are  obscured  by 
accumulations  of  debris.  A  breach  in  the  wall  at  the  right  has  been  repaired  by 
the  authorities,  giving  it  the  appearance  of  a  window  opening.  The  columns 
within  are  so  placed  that  they  are  not  visible  through  either  of  the  doorways,  but 
the  wall  niche  and  part  of  the  opening  into  the  passageway  that  leads  to  the 
north  court  are  seen. 

Photograph  by  E.  H.  Thompson. 


iijfiMiJ  tiitAdiii  II  ih' 


i^i^^^M^S^^- 


^sm 


Feb.  1897.  Anxient  Cities  of   Mexico— Holmes.  259 

this  terrace  was  closely  similar  to  the  others  and  supported  a  similar 
building,  though  there  is  nothing  to  show  whether  it  was  of  double  or 
single  width.  It  is  highh'  probable  that  in  form,  finish  and  decora- 
tion the  east,  west  and  south  buildings  were  very  similar  to  the 
north  building,  described  in  the  succeeding  paragraphs. 

Hall  of  the  Six  Columns.  Facing  the  court  E  on  the  north  is 
one  of  the  best  preserved  of  the  Mitlan  buildings.  It  is  of  the  usual 
oblong  shape  and  contains  but  a  single  chamber,  while  back  of  it  to 
the  north  and  connecting  with  it  is  the  closed  Quadrangle  of  the 
Grecques,  D.  We  have  thus  a  compound  structure  which  is  usually 
regarded  as  a  single  building:  but  for  the  sake  of  clearness  of  descrip- 
tion, I  shall  treat  it  as  consisting  of  the  five  buildings  which  it 
theoretically  embodies — the  north  building  of  the  middle  quadrangle 
and  the  four  buildings  of  the  north  quadrangle.  The  platform  occu- 
pied by  this  composite  structure  is  a  single  mass  composed  of  the 
usual  rubble,  and  is  hardly  more  than  6  or  7  feet  in  height  at 
any  point.  The  upper  surface  projects  4  or  5  feet  beyond  the  walls. 
of  the  superstructure,  forming  a  narrow  esplanade.  This  space 
had  a  cement  floor,  fragments  of  which  are  preserved  in  protected 
spots,  and  I  observed  that  the  nearly  vertical  front  of  the  terrace  has 
been  faced  with  cut  stone,  portions  of  the  lower  course  being  still  in 
place. 

The  superstructure  is  seen  to  good  advantage  in  the  panorama. 
The  walls  are  preserved  nearly  to  their  full  height  all  around,  but  the 
roof  has  entirely  disappeared  as  well  as  one  or  more  courses  of  coping 
stones.  The  three  zones  of  mosaic  panels  can  be  followed  entirely 
around  the  building  save  where~  interfered  with  by  the  doorways. 
In  the  panorama  we  look  along  the  south  front  which  faces  the  court 
and  observe  that  its  three  squarish  doorways  give  entrance  to  a  long 
hall  in  which  the  tops  of  six  columns  are  seen.  The  interior  view 
is  more  effectively  presented  in  the  photograph  reproduced  in  PI. 
XXXII,  which  was  taken  from  the  top  of  the  wall  at  the  east  end  of 
the  hall. 

The  grand  though  low  and  somewhat  monotonous  facade  is 
shown  in  PI.  XXXI,  which  is  made  up  of  three  views  taken  by  Mr. 
Thompson  from  as  man}'  points  of  view  within  the  court  and  joined 
to  form  one  view.  The  photographs  are  not  as  brilliant  as  could  be 
desired,  and  do  not  join  with  exactness,  but  the  view  will  be  useful 
to  the  student  who  wishes  to  study  the  various  features  in  detail. 
This  facade  is  133  feet  long  and  14  feet  in  height;  it  is  rendered  espe- 
cially noteworthy  by  its  three  fine  doorways  with  their  great  sculptured 
lintels  and  massive  piers,  b}'  twenty-three  panels  of  handsome  mosaic 


26o         FiELP  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,   \'ol.    i. 

fretwork,  and  by  four  deep  pittings  drilled  in  the  pillar  caps  at  the 
sides  of  the  doorway  and  supposed  to  have  served  for  supporting  the 
timbers  of  an  awning.  Facing  the  observer  in  the  panorama  (PI. 
XXXVIII)  we  have  the  east  end  of  this  structure:  its  three  long 
grecque  panels  are  broken  down  through  the  middle,  but  I  have  filled 
them  out  in  order  that  a  better  idea  of  the  building  may  be  given.  The 
opposite  end  is  complete  and  is  identical  in  every  way.  On  the  right,  and 
set  back  some  thirty  feet,  is  the  east  wall  of  the  annexed  quadrangle 
(D)  with  its  nine  panels.  The  corresponding  walls  on  the  west  side 
duplicate  these,  and  the  three  sections,  of  wall  facing  north  have  also 
nine  panels  each.  There  are,  therefore,  fifty-three  exterior  panels  of 
fretwork  in  this  entire  structure  or  cluster  of  buildings.  It  is  observed 
that  the  top  courses  of  the  walls  are  for  the  most  part  missing,  and 
the  facing  stones  along  the  base  of  the  walls  and  most  of  the  facing 
of  the  supporting  terrace  have  been  removed  by  modern  house- 
builders. 

Entering  the  Hall  of  the  Six  Columns  from  the  court  (E)  we 
observe  the  monotonous  interior  walls  broken  only  by  the  three  front 
doorways,  by  a  smaller  back  doorway  leading  to  the  north  court,  and 
a  recess  or  niche  17  inches  high,  30  inches  wide  and  23  inches  deep, 
placed  in  the  center  of  the  north  wall  opposite  the  entrance.  It  should 
be  mentioned  that  the  INIexican  authorities  some  years  ago, finding  these 
walls  much  weathered  out  and  liable  to  fall,  undertook  to  repair  them. 
As  fiattish  red  brick  were  employed — in  the  main  at  least — in  this  work 
the  visitor  need  not  be  deceived  as  to  the  parts  thus  tampered  with. 
As  to  the  plaster  of  the  walls  and  floor,  it  is  somewhat  dii'ficult  to  say 
just  what  part  is  original  and  what  is  restored;  but  there  seems  to  be 
little  doubt  (unless  the  entire  wall  surface  has  been  replastered)  that 
the  walls  were  plastered  originally  and  not  finished  in  mosaic  panels 
as  in  the  chambers  of  the  annexed  closed  quadrangle.  The  present 
appearance  of  the  floor  and  walls  is  shown  in  PI.  XXXII.  The  great 
feature  of  this  fine  hall,  which  is  23  feet  wide  and  125  feet  long,  is  the 
row  of  six  columns  arranged  symmetrically  along  the  middle.  These 
columns  are  very  well  preserved  and  uniform  in  height  and  position. 
They  are  about  3  feet  in  diameter  near  the  base,-  tapering  a  little 
toward  the  top,  and  vary  but  a  fev/  inches  from  11  feet  in  height. 
They  must  be  deeply  planted  in  the  substructure,  as  indicated  in  the 
section,  Fig.  92,  and  their  office  was  undoubtedly  that  of  supporting 
the  roof.  Their  height  is  about  such  as  to  permit  of  the  use  of  longi- 
tudinal timbers,  after  the  manner  shown  in  the  figure.  Possibly 
there  may  have  been  capstones,  as  suggested  in  the  auxiliary  figure 
at  o,  but  the  only  column  in  Mitla  still  supporting  its  original  burden 


Pl.  XXXII,     Interior  of  Hall  of  the  Six  Columns,  from  Above. 


This  view  looks  west  from  the  northeast  corner  of  the  wall  and  shows  the 
columns  planted  along  the  middle  of  the  floor,  the  front  wall  in  shadow  at  the  left 
with  the  doorways  indistinctly  displayed,  the  north  wall  in  the  center  of  the  pic- 
ture, and  the  annexed  quadrangle  at  the  right.  Of  the  latter  structure  we  see 
part  of  the  east  waTl  (exterior),  with  its  grecque-panels;  we  also  get  glimpses  into 
the  court  at  the  right  of  the  figures  in  white,  and  into  the  south  and  west  grecque 
chambers  at  the  left  of  these  figures. 

In  the  middle  distance  is  the  small  church  surmounting  the  principal  pyramid 
of  the  Adobe  Group,  and  in  the  distance,  near  the  middle  of  the  picture,  the  Forti- 
fied Hill. 

Views  of  modern  Mitla  (obscured  by  foliage),  and  of  the  valley  of  the  Rio 
Mitla  are  obtained  at  the  left.  Height  of  columns,  ii  feet;  width  of  hall,  23  feet. 
Photograph  by  A.  V.  Armour. 


Feb.  1897.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico— Holmes. 


261 


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262 


Field  Colu.mbiax  MrsEr>r — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 


is  without  this  feature.  That  wood  ceiling  beams  were  used  in  this 
group  of  buildings  is  clearly  proved  by  traces  left  in  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  associated  quadrangle  and  referred  to  farther  on. 

Details  of  the  inner  facings  of  the  front  doorways,  of  the  niche 
and  the  rear  door  leading  to  the  northern  court,  are  shown  in  Fig.  92. 
The  great  lintels  are  somewhat  rough  on  the  inside,  and  were  prob- 
ably faced  with  plaster.  The  eastern  jamb  of  the  east  opening  and 
the  western  jamb  of  the  west  opening  of  the  doorway  were  each  faced 
with  a  thick  slab  or  block  of  stone,  the  eastern  one  only  remaining. 
The  two  piers  have  large  capstones,  but  only  one  of  these  extends 
through  to  the  inner  face  of  the  wall.  The  piers  are  otherwise  com- 
posed of  ordinary  masonry  and  the  surfaces  were  faced  up  with  plas- 
ter. Within  the  doorways,  portions  of  the  polished  and  painted  sur- 
faces still  remain  and  in  the  better  protected  parts  slight  traces  of 
painted  figures  are  seen.  The  niche  in  the  back  wall  is  framed  in 
with  cut  stones,  and  the  entrance  to  the  passage  into  the  north  court 
is  treated  in  like  manner. 

Quadrangle  of  the  Grecques.  The  northern  annex  of  the  Hall 
of  the  Columns  is  a  consolidated  quadrangle  with  its  court  and  four 
buildings:  the  latter  take  the  character  of  chambers,  but  at  the  same 
time  retain  the  usual  relation  of  buildings  to  the  court.  These  cham- 
bers are  entered  b}'  doorways  which  m  this  case  are  single  instead  of 


Fig.  93,     Sketch  Plan  of  Hall  of  Six  Columns  and  the  Annexed  Consolidated 
Quadrangle  of  the  Grecques. 

a-b.    Passageway  from  Hall  of  Columns  to  Court  of  Grecques. 

triple — a  result,  no  doubt,  of  the  limited  space  available.  The 
ground  plan  shows  considerable  lack  of  symmetry  resulting  from 
crowding  together  of  the  four  buildings  and  the  introduction  of  the 
long,  narrow  passageway  connecting  the  Hall  of  the  Columns  with  the 
court,  (Fig.  93).  A  study  of  this  plan  in  connection  with  the  section 
given    in    Fig.    94    will,    I    believe,    afford    a    correct    notion    of    the 


Pl.  XXXIII.     Court  and  East  Chamber  of  the  Quadrangle  of  the  Grecques. 


In  this  view  we  are  looking  north  from  the  roof  of  the  narrow  entranceway. 
At  the  left  is  a  glimpse  into  the  court  with  the  doorway  into  the  north  chamber 
showing  recent  masonry  jambs,  and  at  the  right  very  much  in  shadow  is  the  east 
chamber.  An  excellent  idea  is  obtained  of  the  thickness  of  the  walls,  and  the 
shape  of  the  coping  stones.  The  chamber  is  6  feet  6  inches  wide  and  the  walls 
are  but  little  less  than  this  in  thickness. 

Beyond  is  the  group  of  the  Church  Establishment,  with  the  modern  church 
rising  out  of  the  half  demolished  ruins.  Behind  this  group  we  see  the  low,  bush 
dotted  trachyte  bluff,  and  in  the  distance  the  great  ridge  bordering  the  vallev 
on  the  north.     Photograph  by   A.  V.  Armour. 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


263 


character  and  construction  of  this  peculiar  entranceway.  The 
exterior  appearance  of  the  opening  from  the  Hall  of  the  Col- 
umns is  shown  in  Fig.  92.  Entering  this  portal,  which  is  3  feet 
6  inches  wide  and  5   feet  6  inches  high,  we  follow  a  passage  of  like 


Fig.  94.     Section  and  Perspective  of  the  Composite  Group  Usually  Called 
Palace  No.   1;    Looking  West.     Roof  Restored. 

a.  Hall  of  the  Six  Columns. 

d,c.  Passageway  from  Hall  of  Columns  to  Grecque  Courts. 

c.  Entrance  to  Grecque  Court. 

d.  Supposed  space  over  passageway;  ceiling  construction  theoretic. 

e.  East  grecque  chamber  with  doorway  into  Grecque  Court. 

dimensions  (save  that  it  is  a  few  inches  higher)  23  feet  10  inches  long, 
to  the  south  wall  [c)  of  the  east  chamber  of  the  annexed  quadrangle, 
where  we  turn  to  the  left  and  pass  through  a  portal  3  feet  wide  and  5 
feet  4  inches  high  into  the  court  of  the  grecques  at  its  southeast  cor- 
ner. The  section  cuts  this  passage  from  north  to  south  and  shows 
its  construction  and  the  interior  conformation  of  the  opening  into  the 
court.  The  ceiling  is  16  or  18  inches  higher  than  the  Imtels  of  the 
doorways,  and  the  jambs  and  lintels  as  well  as  the  ceiling  stones  are 
massive  and  well  hewn.  The  walls  are  plastered  and  painted,  and  in 
some  parts  retain  traces  of  the  dark  red,  highly  polished  surface.  I 
was  unable  to  determine  absolutely  whether  or  not  there  is  a  hollow 
space  [d]  above  this  passageway,  but  my  impression  is  that  such  a 
space  exists.  I  observed  that  the  roof  surface  showed  traces  of  recent 
repair  by  the  authorities,  and  portions  of  newly  introduced  timbers 
were  visible.  In  PI.  XXXH  the  three  figures  of  natives  occupy  this 
portion  of  the  roof,  and  the  right-hand  figure  is  directly  over  the 
elbow  in  the  passage.  In  PI.  XXXIII  we  have  a  glimpse  into  the 
east  chamber  with  its  grecque  covered  walls  and  into  the  court  at  the 
left.  The  group  of  the  Catholic  Establishment  is  seen  in  the  distance 
in  this  plate.  The  panorama  gives  a  more  connected  though  less  inter- 
esting view  of  most  of  these  features. 

The  court  of  this  quadrangle  is  about  30  feet  square,  and  the 
walls  are  well  preserved  to  a  height  varying  from  12  to  14  feet. 
There  are  five  doorways,  four  opening  into  the  four  halls  of  the 
quadrangle,  the  fifth  leading  into  the  entrance  passage  just  described. 


264         Field  Columbian  Mlskum — Axthropologv,  Vol.  i. 

The  floor  is  cemented  and  shows  no  traces  of  the  former  presence  of 
any  architectural  features.  The  walls  are  richly  ornamented  with 
fretwork  panels  framed  in  with  courses  of  cut  stone  set  now  forward, 
now  back,  forming  tasteful  effects.  There  are  eight  panels  on  the 
lower  line  at  the  sides  of  the  doorways,  the  southern  one  on  the  east 
side — interfered  with  b}^  the  entrance  doorway — being  shorter  than  the 
others.  There  are  eight  panels  above  on  a  line  with  the  lintels,  and 
four  grand  panels  at  the  top  extend  each  nearly  the  entire  length  of  the 
wall  occupied.  The  great  lintels  have  each  a  narrow  recess  cut  into 
the  lower  half  of  the  face  extending  nearly  the  full  length;  these 
recesses  are  decorated  with  sculptured  grecques  which  repeat  the 
mosaic  patterns  of  the  walls.  The  lintel  over  the  west  doorway  (see 
PI.  XXXIV)  is  12  feet  6  inches  long,  30  inches  high  and  36  inches 
wide,  and  the  others  have  closely  corresponding  dimensions.  All  the 
door  jambs  but  one  have  been  removed  or  destroyed,  and  pillars  of 
masonrv  have  been  inserted  in  some  cases  by  government  order  to 
keep  the  cracked  lintels  from  falling  (see  PI.  XXXIII).  The  remain- 
ing jamb-stone,  against  which  the  child  sits  in  PI.  XXXI\',  is  a  finely 
cut  slab  5  feet  4  inches  high  (the  height  of  the  door),  3  feet  7)^  inches 
wide  (the  depth  or  distance  through  the  door),  and  16^4  inches 
thick. 

The  four  rooms  to  which  these  four  doorways  give  entrance  are 
marvels  in  their  way,  the  walls  being  faced — save  a  plastered  dado  4 
feet  6  inches  wide — with  solid  mosaic,  consisting  of  the  most  perfect 
and  charming  fretwork.  The  section  (PI.  XXXV)  gives  a  good 
idea  of  the  construction  of  the  walls  which  separate  the  court  from 
the  side  halls  and  indicates  the  vertical  extent  of  the  panels 
of  fretwork.  Details  of  the  construction  of  the  mosaic  are  given  in 
another  place.  We  gain  some  idea  of  the  amount  of  work  involved 
in  decorating  one  of  these  rooms  by  computing  the  total  number  of 
pieces  of  hewn  stone  employed.  In  the  west  chamber,  for  example, 
this  number  (only  an  approximation,  of  course)  I  find  to  be  14,690. 
The  other  rooms  are  smaller,  and  would  average  perhaps  8,000  each. 
The  twenty  panels  of  the  same  work  in  the  court  and  the  fifty-three 
panels  of  the  exterior  walls  of  the  structure — seventy-three  in  all  and 
estimated  to  require  600  stones  each — would  aggregate  43,800  pieces. 
We  would  thus  have  in  this  quadrangle  a  total  of  81,800  mosaic  stones, 
man}'  of  which  are  of  complex  and  varied  shape.  If  the  Hall  of  the 
Six  Columns  was  finished  originall}' as  were  the  rooms  of  the  north  quad- 
rangle, the  whole  number  of  mosaic  stones  in  this  cluster  of  chambers 
would  certainly  exceed  100,000;  and  if  we  were  to  add  to  this  number 
all  that  would  be  required  in  the  remainder  of  the  group,  and  in  the 


Pu  XXXIV.     In  the  Court  of  the  Quadrangle  of  the  Grecques. 


We  see  here  portions  of  the  west  and  north  walls  facing  the  court,  and  get  an 
excellent  idea  of  the  long  grecque-panels  over  the  doorways,  and  the  smaller 
panels  below.  A  small  portion  of  the  farther  jamb  of  the  north  doorway  is  seen 
at  the  right,  and  the  fine  doorway  giving  entrance  to  the  west  hall  appears  at  the 
left.  The  great  lintel  is  well  shown,  with  its  smooth  surface  above  and  the  sculp- 
tured grecque-panel  below.  At  the  right,  behind  the  figure  of  the  child,  is  the 
only  remaining  jamb-stone.  Surmounting  the  wall  over  the  doorway  is  a  remnant 
of  the  concrete  coping  with  a  roundish  openmg  at  the  right  which  has  caused  no 
little  speculation  as  to  its  use.  The  width  of  the  doorway  as  it  stands  is  6  feet. 
Photograph  by  A.  V.  Armour. 


Feb.  1897. 


Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


26  = 


three  great  groups  which  are  so  much  like  this  one  in  their  general 
style — supposing  all  to  have  been  similarly  decorated — the  grand  total 
would  hardly  fall  short  of  a  million. 

The  west  chamber  of  the  grecques  is  the  best  example  of  the 
IMitlan  interior,  and  in  PI.  XXXV  I  have  undertaken  to  present  a 
complete  idea  of  its  appearance  and  of  the  construction  of  its  walls 
and  roof.  Taking  the  excellent  view  made  by  Mr.  Thompson,  which 
looks  north  from  near  the  south  end,  I  have  framed  it  in  with  a  section 
showing  every  detail  of  construction.  The  floor  is  neatly  cemented 
though  now  not  quite  level.  The  dado  is  of  masonry  formerly  smooth- 
finished  in  plaster,  the  surface  remaining  in  some  parts.  Above  are 
the  three  bands  of  geometric  mosaic,  bordered  at  the  top  and  bot- 
tom  by  narrow  courses  of  hewn   stone;   the  manner  of   inserting  the 


Fig.  95.     Drawing  Showing  Bed  and  Sockets  of  Ceiling  Beams. 

a.  Imprint  of  rounded  surface  of  log  in  mortar  bed. 

d.  Line  of  sockets  from  wfiich  beams  have  been  removed. 

<■.  Interior  wall  of  grecque  chamber. 

d.  Loose  stones  of  top  of  wall. 

various  parts  is  shown  in  the  section.  The  doorway  opens  into  the 
court  in  the  middle  of  the  wall  at  the  right;  above  it  is  the  massive 
lintel  with  the  flat  grecque  sculptured  face  next  the  chamber,  and 
the  notched  front,  also  grecque  sculptured,  facing  the  court;  the  sec- 
tion appears  at  d.  Across  the  top  a  single  ceiling  timber  is  introduced 
and  the  roof  construction  is  suggested  in  broken  lines.  The  warrant 
for  this  manner  of  inserting  the  beam  is  found  at  the  north  end  of  the 
chamber  where  the  interior  wall  surface  retains  its  full  original  height 
and  the  bed  of  the  end  beam  is  still  plainly  visible.  The  rounded  side 
of  the  log  has  left  its  imprint  in  the  mortar  across  the  end  of  the 
chamber  and  the  sockets  where  the  ends  were  inserted  appear  at  the 
right   and   left.      I   have   prepared  two  drawings  (Figs.  95  and  96)  to 


266         Field  Columiuan  Museum — Anthropology,   Vol.  i. 


further  illustrate  this  phase  of  the  construction.  In  Fig.  95  we  see 
at  the  right  the  imprint  of  the  end  beam  and  the  socket  into  which 
the  farther -end  was  fitted,  while  other  sockets  appear  at  the  left 
extending  to  /'.  The  beams  were  laid  across  from  wall  to  wall  as 
indicated  more  clearl}^  by  the  dotted  lines  in  Fig.  96,  g,  h,  i;  they  were 
about  10  feet  long,  12  inches  wide  and  8  or  9  inches  thick  and  were 
separated  by  spaces  of  6  or  8  inches.  These  spaces  were  filled  in  at 
the  ends  by  stones  set  on  edge,  as  indicated  in  perspective  in  Fig.  95 
and  in  plan  in  Fig.  96. 


Fig.  96.     Plan  of  Northwest  Corner  of  Quadrangle  of  the  Grecques,  Showing 
Thickness  of  Walls  and   Placement  of  Ceiling  Beams. 

a.  West  chamber  with  dottpd  lines  indicating  beams. 

b.  North  chamber  with  dotted  lines  indicating  beams. 

c.  Wall  separating  north  and  west  chambers;  4  feet  4  inches  thick. 

d.  Upper  course  of  facing  stones  of  west  wall. 

e.  Upper  course  of  facing  stones  of  north  wall. 

f.  Remnant  of  concrete  roof  surfacing. 
ff.  //,  i.  Beam  sockets. 

In  the  section  (PI.  XXXV)  the  character  of  the  walls  is  expressed 
with  as  much  accuracy  as  possible.  The  outer  wall  at  the  left  is 
about  5  feet  thick  and  the  courses  of  stone  alternating  with  the 
mosaic  panels  {g,  g,  g)  are  given  in  nearly  their  true  proportions,  the 
broken  down  esplanade  appearing  at  f.  The  inner  wall  facing  the 
court  is  from  3  to  4^  feet  thick  and  is  faced  with  courses  of  hewn  stone 


Pl.  XXXV.     Section  and  Perspective  of  the  West  Chamber  of  the  Grecques. 


Section  and  view  are  combined  in  this  plate  for  the  purpose  of  giving  a  com- 
plete idea  of    the    construction.     We  look  north  along  the  chamber,    with   the 
doorway  into  the  court  at  the  right.     The  walls  have  a  plain  dado  below,  and 
three  zones  of  grecque  mosaic  above;  these  features  come  forward  and  appear  in 
the  section,  as  does  also  the  lintel  spanning  the  doorway.     The  foundation  and 
wall  masonry  are  shown,  and  ceiling  beam  and  roof  are  restored. 
a.     Doorway  into  court. 
b,  c.     Portion  of  the  roof  masonry  surmounting  the  north  wall  and  showing 
socket  of  the  end  ceiling  beam. 

d.  Section  of  lintel. 

e.  Beam  restored  in  accordance  with  socket. 

f.  Exterior  esplanade,  6  feet  high  and  5  feet  wide  (approximate). 
StS'S-     Sections  of  grecque  panels. 

h.     Suggestions  of  level  and  convex  roofs. 

i.     Round  hole  through  coping  cement. 

j.     Floor  of  court. 
It  is  possible  that  the  walls  as  shown  are  somewhat  too  thick  below.    At  the 
points  measured  the  inner  wall  was  4  feet  4  inches  thick  and  the  outer  wall  5 
feet  6  inches  thick.    Width  of  chamber,  8  feet.    Photograph  by  E.  H.  Thompson. 


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Feb.   1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  267 

alternating  with  mosaic  panels  as  is  the  outer  wall;  the  sectign  here 
presented,  however,  cuts  so  near  the  doorway  that  only  the  upper 
panel  is  included.  The  top  of  the  wall  at  the  right  in  the  section 
presents  the  characters  observed,  not  at  the  point  cut  by  the  section, 
but  at  the  farther  end  of  the  chamber  where  a  portion  of  the  cement 
surface  of  the  roof  is  preserved:  this  surface  slopes  inward  with  a 
slight  curve  as  indicated  at  the  left  of  /'.  The  coping  course  is  lost 
from  this  upper  portion,  but  at  one  point  at  the  level  of  /  a  round 
opening  is  seen  in  the  toppling  remnant  of  concrete,  which  suggests 
that  if  the  roof  sloped  inward  all  around,  as  indicated  in  the  sketch, 
it  may  have  been  drained  by  a  pipe  at  /  into  the  court.  The  remnant 
of  concrete  with  the  opening  referred  to  is  seen  in  PI.  XXXIV  over 
the  head  of  the  right-hand  standing  figure. 

Quadrangle  of  the  Basement  Galleries.  Immediately  to  the  left 
of  the  Quadrangle  of  the  Columns,  as  seen  in  the  panorama,  is  the 
southern  quadrangle  of  this  group  with  its  three  partially  preserved 
buildings  and  a  ridge  of  debris  representing  the  substructure  of  the 
fourth.  The  walls  of  the  north,  east  and  south  buildings  stand  to 
nearly  their  full  height,  but  the  roofs  are  entireh^  gone,  and  the  cut 
stone  facing  of  the  walls  is  nearly  all  removed  exposing  the  rough 
masonry  of  the  hearting;  from  this  the  dark  adobe  mortar  is  fast 
falling  out  promising  collapse  to  the  greater  masses.  It  is  clear  that 
in  these  buildings,  as  in  the  others,  the  removal  of  the  lower  and 
more  accessible  courses  of  facing  stones  by  modern  house-builders 
has  contributed  vastly  to  hasten  the  destruction  of  the  great  build- 
ings. In  the  panoramic  view  we  see  facing  us  the  outer  wall  of 
the  east  and  principal  building  with  its  remnants  of  mosaic  panels, 
and  get  a  glimpse  within  of  the  lintel  stones  of  the  triple  doorwa}^ 
which  opens  into  the  court.  These  lintel  stones  are  the  largest  seen 
in  Mitla.  Beyond  at  the  right  a  view  is  obtained  of  the  north  build- 
ing with  its  three  doorways  seen  from  within,  and  at  the  left  is  the 
south  building  with  its  much  mutilated  facade. 

The  substructures  retain  their  form  somewhat  fully  but  no  facing 
is  seen,  and,  robbed  of  their  superstructures,  the}^  would  be  merely 
oblong  mounds  of  crumbling  rubble  masonry.  Along  the  south  side 
they  are  from  12  to  15  feet  high,  but  at  the  north  are  hardly  half  that 
height.  The  south  end  of  the  east  building  is  shown  by  Charnay  in 
"Ancient  Cities  of  the  New  World,"  p.  511. 

These  buildings  stand  well  apart,  but  the  terraces,  which  must 
have  projected  a  few  feet  be3'ond  the  walls  as  in  the  more  northern 
structures,  probably  approached  quite  near  together  at  their  inner  cor- 
ners,closing  in  the  shallow  court.   This  court  is  some  140  feet  square  and 


268 


Field  Coi.imbian   Mlseim — Anthropoi.ogv.   \'oi..  i. 


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Feb.  1897.  Ancient  Cities  of  oNIexico — Holmes.  269 

is  now  much  filled  in  about  the  margins.  The  buildings  were  inde- 
pendent of  the  adjoining  quadrangle,  but  Lhe  adjacent  terraces  were 
separated  by  a  few  feet  only.  In  the  sunken  pathway  between  the 
north  building  of  this  quadrangle  and  the  south  end  of  the  west  build- 
ing of  the  Quadrangle  of  the  Columns,  there  are  seen  traces  of  the 
lower  course  of  the  terrace  facings,  which  clearly  show  this  proxin)ity 
and  at  the  same  time  indicate  that  the  esplanades  about  the  buildings 
w^ere  of  the  usual  width  of  4  or  5  feet. 

The  northern  building  possesses  peculiar  interest  because  of  its 
basement  galleries  and  underground  passage  (Fig.  97).  The  facade 
has  no  doubt  corresponded  somewhat  closely  with  that  of  the  Hall 
of  the  Six  Columns.  There  are  the  same  small  panels  of  fretwork  in 
the  center  of  the  pier  fronts  between  the  doors,  the  handsomely  hewn 
stone  framework,  and  the  four  holes  for  awning  timbers  in  the  pillar 
and  jamb  caps  of  the  doorway.  The  squarish  doorwa3"s  and  their  noble 
lintels  are  almost  perfectly  preserved,  as  well  shown  in  Bandelier's 
plate  23.  The}'  are  6  feet  6  inches  high  and  7  feet  wide.  The  triple 
lintel,  45  feet  long  and  2  feet  high,  has  no  sculptured  ornament,  but 
shows  traces  of  light  colored  paint.  The  jambs  of  the  doorwa3's 
have  been  painted  dark  red  and  polished  and  decorated — at  least  in 
part — with  graphic  subjects  in  black.  The  main  walls,  inner  and 
exterior,  show  only  the  rough  stonework,  but  the  cement  floor  retains 
its  dark  red  finish.  The  niche  occupies  the  usual  place  in  the  back 
wall.  The  length  of  the  hall  is  83  feet  and  the  width  8  feet.  The 
height  of  the  ceiling  and  the  finish  of  the  walls  have  no  doubt  corre- 
sponded closely  with  like  features  in  the  buildings  of  the  Quadrangle 
of  the  Columns. 

Viewing  this  building  from  the  center  of  the  court  we  observe,  in 
the  slope  (formerly  the  stairway)  directly  beneath  the  center  door- 
way, two  oblong  horizontal  openings  in  the  masonry,  and  get  glimpses 
through  them  of  a  round  stone  column.  This  column  occupies  the' 
point  of  intersection  of  the  two  galleries  forming  the  mysterious  base- 
ment story  of  the  building.  I  doubt  if  originally  there  was  any  open- 
ing at  this  point,  as  it  would   have   interfered   with  the  stairway,  and 

the  idea  of  complete  darkness — the  result  of  closing  those  openings 

would,  it  seems,  not  have  been  repugnant  to  the  ancient  peoples. 
Entering  by  an  opening  at  the  left  where  the  masonr}- is  considerably 
broken  down,  we  stand  beside  the  column.  As  seen  in  the  ground 
plan,  the  intersection  of  the  galleries  occurs  beneath  the  esplanade 
and  a  little  in  front  of  the  middle  doorway,  the  relations  of  the  various 
features  being  clearly  shown  in  Fig.  97.  The  entrance  was  by  a 
subterranean  passage  (the  stem  of  the  cross  in  the  plan)  approaching 


270         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

from  the  center  of  the  court,  and  this,  rising  (presumably  by  several 
steps)  to  the  level  of  the  basement  galleries, has  its  continuation  bej'ond 
the  column  in  a  gallery  1 2  feet  long, 5  feet  wide  and  6  feet  6  inches  high. 
The  entire  length  of  the  cross-arm,  which  runs  east  and  west  beneath 
the  esplanade,  is  42  feet;  the  width  and  height  are  the  same  as  in  the 
north  gallery.  The  round  column  stands  a  little  forward  of  the  cen- 
ter of  the  intersection  of  the  arms,  and  is  21  inches  in  diameter,  6 
feet  2  inches  high,  and  tapers  slightly  toward  the  top.  It  is  some- 
what mutilated  as  shown  in  PI.  XXXVI,  which  is  a  view  looking  west 
with  the  exit  to  the  left.  It  supports  two  great  ceiling  stones,  which 
are  dressed  Smooth  on  the  under  surface,  though  they  are  rough 
on  the  edges  and  probably  also  above.  They  are  from  12  to  20 
inches  in  thickness  and  between  three  and  four  feet  wide.  The 
column  is  absolutel}'  essential  to  the  support  of  these  stones.  The 
ceiling  stones  of  the  three  galleries  and  the  entrance  passage  are  sim- 
ilar in  character  but  narrower.  The}'  are  set  a  few  inches  apart,  and 
by  looking  up  between  them  one  can  see  that  rough  stones  extend 
along  the  apertures  supporting  the  thick  rubble  mass  of  the  floor 
above.  The  entire  thickness  of  this  floor  between  the  ceiling  sur- 
face and  the  surface  of  the  floor  of  the  superstructure  is  about  5  feet, 
as  indicated  in  the  section,  and  readily  demonstrated  by  referring  to  a 
photograph  of  the  front  of  the  building,  published  b}'  Bandelier.  * 

The  walls  of  the  apartments  are  neatly  finished  in  every  way  and 
decorated  with  panels  of  fretwork  resembling  those  of  the  exterior  of 
this  and  other  buildings.  The  work  is  a  little  heavier  than  in  other 
cases,  and  the  figures  are  arranged  in  somewhat  peculiar  ways,  but  all 
are  much  alike  in  motive  and  execution.  The  character  of  the  frame- 
work of  the  panels  and  the  wall  space  below  is  indicated  in  the  sec- 
tion, and  is  clearly  shown  in  the  photograph  reproduced  in  PI. 
XXXVI.  The  sides  of  the  entrance  to  the  underground  way  are  faced 
with  cut  stone  in  the  usual  style  of  exterior  surfaces.  The  ceiling 
descends  in  steps,  as  indicated  in  the  section,  until  the  level  of  the 
passage  ceiling  is  reached — a  little  lower  than  the  floor  of  the  galler- 
ies. The  stairway  is  destroyed  or  covered  up,  and  the  passageway  is 
so  filled  with  debris  that  only  a  foot  or  two  of  open  space  remains 
next  the  ceiling.  By  crouching  low  one  may  see  into  the  passage 
10  or  15  feet.  About  6  feet  from  the  column  the  side  walls  con- 
tract a  few  inches,  and  then  a  little  farther  on  expand  to  3  feet  6 
inches,  so  that  the  passage  is  narrow,  and  its  height  was  probably  not 
more  than  5  feet.  Of  course  it  is  useless  to  speculate  as  to  the 
nature  of  the  remainder  of  this  passage;  I  incline,  however,  to  the 
view  that  the  entrance  was  located  somewhat  near  the  center  of  the 

*  Mexico,  pLXXin. 


Pl.  XXXVl.     Basement  Galleries  and  Columnar  Roof  Support. 


In  this  view  we  look  west  along  the  gallery  which  extends  beneath  the  stairs 
and  esplanade  in  front  of  the  north  building  of  the  Quadrangle  of  the  Basement 
Galleries.  The  light  comes  in  at  the  left  through  an  opening  recently  made  in 
the  roof  of  the  passageway  under  the  court.  The  column  supports  heavy  ceiling 
stones,  and  stands  at  the  intersection  of  the  north  and  south  with  the  east  and 
west  galleries.  The  opening  of  the  north  gallery,  seen  at  the  right  of  the 
column,  is  directly  beneath  the  central  doorway  of  the  building  above.  The 
paneling  and  masonry  are  seen  at  the  right.     Height  of  column,  7  feet. 


Feb.  1897.         Anxient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  271 

court.  By  reference  to  one  of  Dupaix's  plates  (Kingsborough,Vol. V.) 
it  will  be  seen  that  the  walls  of  the  passage  are  ornamented  with 
mosaic  fretwork  in  the  usual  style.  It  is  also  seen  that  the  artist  who 
made  the  drawing  had  reason  for  indicating  the  termination  of  the 
passage  at  the  distance  of  perhaps  15  feet  from  the  intersection  of  the 
galleries.  Whether  a  stairway  led  up  to  the  surface  at  this  point  or 
whether  there  was  a  turn  or  other  feature  cannot  be  determined  until 
the  Mexican  authorities  decide  to  undertake  further  investigations. 
It  seems  to  me  highly  probable  that  the  galleries  were  devoted  to 
mortuary  uses. 

The  east  building  has  been  a  noble  structure,  corresponding 
closely  in  size  and  appearance  with  the  wider  structures  of  the  Quad- 
rangle of  the  Columns.  The  length  of  the  apartment  is  about  120 
feet  and  the  width  22  feet.  The  latter  measurement  indicates  the 
probable  use  of  columns  for  supporting  the  roof  timbers,  as  in  the 
Hall  of  the  Columns,  though  no  traces  of  these  are  now  visible,  and 
the  floor  shows  no  sockets  into  which  columns  could  have  been 
inserted.  It  should  be  remembered  in  this  connection,  however,  that 
these  chambers  have  almost  certainly  been  used  by  post-Spanish  resi- 
dents, and  that  the  floors,  if  defective,  would  have  been  subject  to 
recementing.  Indeed  it  is  hard  to  say  of  any  of  the  floors  in  the  bet- 
ter preserved  buildings  that  they  are  certainly  aboriginal.  I  may  add 
that  to  me  there  seems  no  apparent  reason  why  pillars  of  wood 
instead  of  stone  should  not  have  been  used  in  supporting  the  roofs  of 
these  buildings.  The  walls  are  almost  completely  denuded  of  their 
cut  stone  facing,  save  on  the  south  and  east  exteriors  where  large 
portions  toward  the  top,  beyond  the  easy  reach  of  vandals,  remain  in 
place.  The  fretwork  panels,  of  which  there  are  only  two  zones  in 
place  (see  panorama),  are  identical  in  style  with  those  of  the  better 
preserved  Quadrangle  of  the  Columns.  Two  fine  panels,  about  25 
feet  in  length,  ornament  the  south  end,  and  six,  preserved  in  whole  or 
in  part,  remain  on  the  east  wall.  Over  this  eastern  wall  in  the  pan- 
orama, the  inside  of  the  front  wall  and  the  tops  of  the  three  doorways 
are  seen.  The  lintels  spanning  the  latter  are  between  19  and  20  feet 
in  length.  The  diversity  in  published  measurements  of  these  stones 
has  probably  resulted  from  the  fact  that  the  ends  are  uneven.  The 
width  is  5  feet  and  the  thickness  or  height  3  feet  7  inches,  not  count- 
ing the  elevations  of  the  untrimmed  upper  surface.  The  doorways  are 
7  feet  8  inches  high  and  about  8  feet  wide.  The  jamb-stones — two  only 
occurring, as  usual,  and  these  at  the  outer  sides  of  the  end  doorways — 
are  7  feet  8  inches  high,  5  feet  5  inches  wide  and  3  feet  thick.  The 
capstones  of    the   pillars  are   almost  as   massive   as  the  jambs,   and 


272  Field  Columbian   jMusel-M — Axthropologv.  Vol.    i. 

there  are  some  very  heavy,  roughly  dressed  stones  built  into  the  pil- 
lars. The  cemented  floor  retains  its  red  surface,  and  the  sides  and 
soffits  of  the  doorways  are  painted  red  or  a  pale  reddish  tint.  The 
three  lintels,  as  in  other  buildings,  are  treated  as  a  single  stone,  and 
the  lower  half  of  the  face  is  recessed  and  filled  with  lines  of  fret- 
work, neatly  sculptured  and  retaining  pale  reddish  paint  in  protected 
parts.  Small  panels  of  mosaic  fretwork  appear  on  the  pillar  fronts, 
and  there  are  also  remnants  of  great  panels,  in  the  same  style,  above 
the  lintel,  and  to  the  right  and  left  of  it. 

The  south  building  corresponds  ver}"  closely  with  that  on  the 
north,  the  apartment  measuring  about  S  by  84  feet.  The  terrace  rises 
5  or  6  feet  above  the  general  level  of  the  court  and  is  from  12  or  14  feet 
high  on  the  outside  at  the  south.  The  walls  vary  from  10  to  12  feet 
in  height  and  show  only  the  rough,  weathered  masonry,  save  on  the 
exterior,  where  a  portion  of  the  base  course  of  dressed  stone  is  still 
in  place.  The  three  great  doorways  and  their  massive  lintels,  jambs 
and  pillar-caps  are  preserved,  as  indicated  in  the  panorama  which 
shows  a  considerable  portion  of  the  facade.  At  the  back  of  the  hall 
is  seen  also  the  mysterious,  stone-framed  recess. 

GROUP  OF  THE  ARROYO.  The  resemblance  of  this  cluster  of 
quadrangles  in  its  leading  characters  to  the  groups  already  described 
is  so  close  that  detailed  description  seems  superfluous,  and  the  pano- 
rama and  ground  plan  must  be  largely  relied  upon  to  tell  the  story. 
The  group  can  be  seen  in  the  panorama  over  and  beyond  the  quad- 
rangle last  described.  There  are  three  quadrangles,  differing  from 
those  already  described  only  in  minor  details  of  placement,  plan  and 
elevation.  Like  the  buildings  of  the  northern  group,  these  structures 
rest  upon  the  unchanged  surface  of  the  gentle  slope.  The  walls  are 
now  nearly  all  reduced  to  the  level  of  the  great  Jintels,  which  are  so 
heav}'  as  to  have  caused  a  halt  in  the  depredations  of  modern  house- 
builders.  The  arroyo,  some  twelve  feet  deep,  passes  close  under  the 
east  walls  threatening  their  destruction,  and  the  roadway  skirts  the 
group  on  the  north  and  west.  The  north  and  middle  quadrangles 
coalesce,  while  the  southern  one  is  set  apart  and  to  the  west,  and  is 
separated  from  the  middle  quadrangle  by  a  space  of  6  feet.  The 
courts  vary  but  a  few  feet  in  their  dimensions  from  the  corresponding 
courts  of  the  Group  of  the  Catholic  Establishment.  None  of  the 
buildings  seem  to  have  been  so  wide  as  to  require  columns  for 
the  support  of  the  roof.  The  outer  walls  of  the  north  and  east 
buildings  of  the  northern  quadrangle  are  leveled  with  the  ground 
and  the  same  is  true  of  the  walls  of  the  southern  buildings  of  the 
middle  and  south  quadrangles — assuming  that  these  structures   once 


Feb.  1897.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  273 

existed.  It  is  especially  to  be  noted  that  the  north  court  connects 
with  the  middle  quadrangle  by  a  dark,  crooked  passageway — as  in  the 
other  groups — and  that  there  are  in  none  of  the  buildings  traces  of 
exterior  doorways.  The  courts  have  communicated  with  their  inclos- 
ing buildings  by  means  of  the  usual  doorways,  the  lintels  of  which 
measure  from  10  to  15  feet  in  length,  some  being  as  much  as  4  feet 
6  inches  wide  and  3  feet  thick.  A  remarkable  feature  of  these  lintels 
is  the  preservation  in  places  of  portions  of  painted  designs  which, 
originall}'  covered  the  entire  sunken  panel  of  the  lower  half.  The 
best  examples  are  found  in  the  southern  court,  where  the  panel  was 
a  foot  in  width  and  about  36  feet  in  length,  as  shown  in  the 
sketch,  Fig.  91.  A  small  portion  of  the  painted  design  from  this  lintel 
is  reproduced  in  Fig.  90. 

The  walls  have  been  faced  with  cut  stone,  as  indicated  at  several 
points  where  destruction  is  not  yet  quite  complete.  They  have  been 
ornamented  with  fretwork  panels,  as  in  the  other  groups,  and  speci- 
mens of  the  dentate  stones  are  scattered  along  the  base  of  the   walls. 

GROUP  OF  THE  ADOBES.  This  appellation  expresses  the  chief 
distinctive  featuVe  of  the  group,  of  which  portions  of  the  mounds  or 
pyramids  on  which  the  buildings  stood  are  alone  preserved.  The 
east  and  north  mounds  are  seen  in  the  panorama  over  the  Quadrangle 
of  the  Columns,  E,  and  their  position  and  relations  with  the  group  are 
clearly  shown  on  the  map.  Without  excavation  we  can  learn  little 
of  the  character  of  these  structures  or  the  nature  of  their  surface 
finish.  Though  built  chiefly  of  adobe,  they  may  have  been  faced  with 
cut  stone  and  elaborately  decorated  with  fretwork,  as  in  other  cases. 
The  main  mound  shows  traces  of  terracing  and  doubtless  the  others 
have  been  terraced,  as  indicated  in  a  plate  published  by  Dupaix. 
The  eastern  mound  is  much  larger  than  the  others,  and  probably 
supported  the  principal  building.  It  is  30  feet  high,  and  the  summit, 
which  is  about  60  feet  from  east  to  west  and  So  from  north  to  south, 
is  now  occupied  by  a  small  Christian  chapel  of  primitive  design  and 
construction.  The  north,  east  and  south  slopes  are  quite  steep  and 
much  weathered  and  scarred,  while  the  west  side  has  been  cut  away 
by  late  occupants  of  the  court  and  is  vertical  for  two-thirds  of  its 
height.  The  adobe  bricks  used  are  about  15  inches  long,  6  inches  wide 
and  2^  inches  thick,  and  are  heavily  bedded  in  a  matrix  of  coarse 
adobe.  The  base  of  the  mound  is  composed  partly  of  stones  irregularly 
imbedded  in  adobe  soil,  as  in  other  examples. 

The  dimensions  of  the  court  cannot  be  accurately  determined,  but 
it  must  have  been  at  least  150  feet  square.  The  northern  structure  is 
now  represented  by  an  irregular  mound  of  adobes,  some  10  feet  high, 


274  FlKLD    Coi.U.MIilAN     MUSF.UM ANTHROPOLOGY,    VoL.     I. 

20  or  25  feet  wide  and  40  or  50  feet  long.  The  west  mound  is  perhaps 
■80  feet  long,  25  feet  wide  and  10  or  12  feet  high.  The  south  member 
of  the  quadrangle  is  reduced  to  a  low  ridge  of  earth.  These  rem- 
nants are  being  rapidly  reduced  by  the  present  occupants  of  the  site, 
and  it  is  hard  to  believe  that  fort}^  3'ears  ago  they  were  as  well  pre- 
served as  indicated  in  the  Dupaix  -plate.  I  had  no  opportunity 
to  search  for  traces  of  possible  associated  groups,  and  shall  only  men- 
tion the  occurrence  of  a  large  squarish  block  of  stone  a  few  yards 
beyond  the  mounds  on  the  northwest. 

SOUTH  SIDE  GROUP.  At  the  extreme  left  in  the  panorama  and 
beyond  the  steep  banks  of  the  Rio  Mitla  is  seen  a  massive  mound 
rising  above  the  numerous  clusters  of  dwellings  and  their  accompany- 
ing masses  of  dark  foliage.  This  is  all  that  remains  of  a  great  struc- 
ture that  once  formed  the  east  member  of  a  quadrangle  identical  in 
plan    with   those    of  the    north    side.      Between  this    group  and  the 


^^^-T.^Cv^-.-rnr.^ 


Fig.  98.    Sketch  of  South  End  of  Pyramid  Showing  Concrete  Floors. 

a,  l>,  c.    Terraces.        d.    Slab  of  concrete  descended  from  above. 


creek  are  traces  of  a  second  quadrangle,  represented  on  the  north  and 
east  sides  by  low  mounds  of  earth  and  stones.  This  cluster  lies 
directly  north  of  the  better  preserved  quadrangle  and  probably  held 
to  this  group  the  same  relationship  that  the  northern  buildings  of  the 
other  groups  held  to  their  adjoining  structures.  Its  presence  sug- 
gests the  possibility  of  a  third  quadrangle  at  the  south,  but  so  far  as 
I  know  no  traces  of  its  presence  have  been  noted. 

The  east  member  of  the  main  quadrangle  was  probably  one  of 
the  grandest  of  the  Mitlan  structures.  The  pyramid  is  nearly  30  feet 
high  and  at  the  base  measures  about  100  by  120  feet;  the  flattish 
summit  preserves  nearly  its  original  dimensions,  having  been  pro- 
tected by  a  firm  cement  floor,  and  measures  60  b}^  80  feet;  rest- 
ing on  this  is  a  low  mass  of  earth,  about  5  feet  high,  having  near  the 
middle  remnants  of  a  Spanish  building,  probabl}'  a  church.  This 
massive    pile    is    composed   of    stones   of    various    sizes    and    shapes 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  275 

imbedded  in  adobe,  as  in  many  of  the  north  side  structures,  but  we 
cannot  at  present  say  whether  the  facings  were  of  stone  or  cement. 
The  most  noteworthy  feature  of  this  pyramid  is  the  cement  or  concrete 
floors  of  the  terraces,  whicli  are  so  firm  and  thick  as  to  stand  out  in 
places  far  beyond  the  crumbling  slopes,  as  shown  in  Fig.  98. 

The  terraces  are  about  five  feet  wide,  and  probably  extended 
entirely  around  the  pyramid,  save  where  interrupted  by  a  stairway  or 
stairways.  These  floors  occur  at  the  south  end,  as  indicated  in  the 
sketch.  At  the  base  is  a  large  slab  of  this  flooring,  some  7  feet  long 
and  4  feet  wide,  which  has  fallen  from  above  and  remains  intact  and 
as  firm  as  a  slab  of  stone.  It  is  7  inches  thick,  and  is  composed  of 
coarse,  gravelly  concrete,  surfaced  with  finer  mixtures.  Portions  of  the 
masonry  of  the  lower  story  at  the  south  end  are  preserved,  and  some 
of  the  rough  vertical  wall  of  the  second  story  is  still  in  place.  The 
floors  have  frequently  been  repaired  by  adding  thin  coats  of  cement, 
and  after  each  application  the  surface  has  been  painted  red  and 
polished. 

The  north  pyramid  was  about  the  same  in  length  as  that  on  the 
cast,  but  was  much  inferior  in  width  and  height.  It  is  composed  of 
stones  and  earth  and  is  about  18  feet  high,  30  or  40  feet  wide  and 
upwards  of  100  feet  long.  The  cement  floor  and  portions  of  the 
walls  of  the  superstructure  are  still  in  place.  The  length  inside  was 
about  80  feet,  and  the  width  15  feet.  A  partition  wall  extended  the 
full  length  of  the  building,  dividing  the  space  into  two  parts,  one  being 
about  5  feet  wide  and  the  other  8.  Traces  of  cross  walls  occur  in  two 
or  three  places,  indicating  a  separation  into  rooms  of  unequal  size. 

The  west  structure  is  represented  by  an  oblong  mound  about  12 
feet  high  and  25  feet  wide  at  the  top;  its  south  end  has  been  nearly 
leveled  with  the  ground.  The  southern  structure  is  still  further 
reduced,  and  is  represented  by  a  low  ridge  from  3  to  5  feet  high. 
The  court  is  occupied  by  modern  dwellings,  and  the  work  of  destruc- 
tion is  going  on  at  a  rapid  rate. 

THE  FORTIFIED  HILL.  One  of  the  most  unique  and  striking  fea- 
tures of  Mitla  is  the  fortified  hill,  situated  about  a  mile  to  the  west 
of  the  village.  Its  position  and  general  topographic  character  will  be 
understood  by  referring  to  the  panoramic  view,  and  numerous  details 
are  given  in  the  accompanying  illustrations.  The  hill  is  an  outlier  of 
the  highland  facing  the  fields  that  border  the  stream  on  the  north, 
and  is  separated  from  the  adjoining  bluffs  and  slopes  by  an  encircling 
■depression.  It  is  a  great  mass  of  barren  rock  with  a  flattish  top  from 
which  a  spur  descends  toward  Mitla  at  such  an  angle  as  to  make 
the  ascent  quite  easy.      The  summit  proper,  wholly  occupied  by  the 


276  FiKLD  Columbian-  Mlselm — An thropologv,  Vol.  i. 

fortihcation,  is  perhaps  400  by  1,000  feet  in  extent;  the  base  is  half 
a  mile  in  length  from  southeast  to  northwest,  but  less  than  half  as 
much  in  width".  Viewed  from  the  direction  of  the  creek,  a  long, 
rather  low  face  is  presented,  rising  from  the  gently  sloping  field  in  a 
steep,  even  incline:  this  becomes  rugged  above  and  ends  in  an 
irregular,  broken  precipice,  crowned  by  the  walls  of  the  fortress. 
On  the  west  and  north  the  sides  are  steeper  and  more  rugged. 
Great  bodies  of  the  rhyolite  rock  are  seen  protruding  at  every  point, 
while  many  masses,  dislodged  from  the  ledges  above,  surround  the 
hill  on  all  sides.  Vegetation  is  sparse,  and  consists  mainlv  of 
scrubby  trees,  cacti  and  brambles.  A  photograph  made  from  the  south 
shows  so  little  of  the  crowning  structures  that  it  is  not  considered 
worth  reproducing,  but  a  view  made  from  the  rocky  approach  near 
the  crest  on  the  Mitlan  side  is  given  in  PI.  XXXVII.  This  view  is 
very  unsatisfactory,  but  there  is  no  point  from  which  any  more  com- 
prehensive view  can  be  obtained.  In  the  picture  we  see  the  outer 
wall  crossing  the  crest  from  side  to  side,  terminating  in  a  great, 
detached,  rounded  rock  at  the  right:  beyond  this  is  the  second 
and  higher  wall,  and  we  catch  a  glimpse  of  two  piles  of  buildings 
occupying  the  higher  position  within  the  inclosure.  I  stood  on 
the  inner  wall  with  my  hat  held  aloft  while  Mr.  Thompson  made  the 
view,  and  a  definite  idea  of  the  proportions  of  the  several  features  of 
the  picture  is  thus  conveyed.  The  gateway — or  opening  rather — in 
the  first  wall  is  at  the  left  in  the  plate,  and  the  passage  through  the 
second  wall  is  a  little  farther  to  the  left.  Our  visit  was  hurried  and, 
as  a  second  visit  was  contemplated,  a  careful  survey  was  not  under- 
taken; but  the  second  visit  was  never  made,  and  this  I  regret  greatly, 
as  the  maps  published  by  previous  visitors  are  far  from  satisfactory. 
The  summit  proper  is  surrounded  by  a  massive  wall  of  unhewn 
stoue,  laid  up  with  some  regularity,  but  apparently  without  mortar, 
save  in  special  limited  places  where  the  foundations  were  exception- 
ally steep.  The  wall  follows  the  uneven  margin  of  the  crest,  with 
many  ins  and  outs  and  ups  and  downs,  and  was  evidently  intended  to 
make  the  place  impregnable  to  an  eneni}'.  Where  the  cliffs  are  pre- 
cipitous only  sufficient  masonry  is  added  to  make  them  wholly  inac- 
cessible: where  the  slope  is  gentle,  as  on  the  east  side,  the  wall  is  zig- 
zagged, showing  decided  appreciation  on  the  part  of  the  builders  of 
the  advantages  of  the  S3'stem  of  salients  and  re-entering  angles.  On 
the  gentler  slope,  where  approach  was  easy  and  the  single  wall  was  not 
considered  sufficient,  a  second  wall  was  carried  across  20  to  40 
feet  outside  of  the  first  and  the  ends  were  joined  to  the  main  wall  at 
the  sides  where  the  precipice  begins. 


Feb.    1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


277 


The  entrance  through  the  outer  wall,  shown  in  the  photograph, 
is  near  the  middle  of  the  outer  wall  and  at  the  highest  point  in  the 
profile  of  the  ridge.  This  has  been  regarded  by  all  visitors  as  the 
original  entrance  way,  but  I  was  led  to  question  this  by  observing 
that  there  is  also  an  opening  at  the  northern  termination  of  the  outer 
embankment.  It  would  seem  that  this  is  the  natural  place  for  the 
gateway.  An  enemy  would  have  to  approach  by  a  precipitous  slope 
in  full  view  of  the  overhanging  walls  and  pass  over  a  raised  rock- 
bound  threshold  12  feet  wide,  between  the  inner  and  higher  wall  and 


Fig.  99.     Gateway  of  Fortification,  Looking  Out. 

a.  a,  a.    Inner  wall  with  heaps  of  stones  intended  for  use  in  defense,    b.    Outei wall. 
c.    Space  between  walls.     (/.    Gateway.     Height  of  walls  from  10  to  16  feet. 

a  colossal  bowlder,  25  or  30  feet  in  greatest  dimensions,  with  which 
the  outer  wall  terminates.  On  entering  he  would  be  compelled  to 
pass  between  the  two  v.^alls  along  a  depressed  space  and  fully  exposed 
to  the  missiles  of  the  besieged  for  several  hundred  feet,  before  reach- 
ing the  inner  entrance  near  the  south  side.  That  it  was  expected  or 
feared  that  he  would  thus  enter  is  clearly  indicated  by  the  occurrence  of 
piles  .of  roundish  stones — mostly  of  yellowish  flinty  quartzite,  in  many 
cases  rounded  by  pecking  and  well  fitted  for  use  in  a  sling — at  short 
intervals  along  the  top  of  the  wall.      My  sketch,  Fig.  99,  shows  these 


278         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,   Vol.  i. 

piles  of  stones — which  are  not  confined,  however,  to  this  part  of  the 
fortress  —  and  also  gives  a  correct  impression  of  the  bowlder-guarded 
gateway,  looking  out.  An  examination  of  the  opening  developed  the 
fact  that  there  are  no  traces  of  a  connecting  wall  between  the  great 
portal  bowlder  and  tlie  inner  wall  opposite.  The  walls  at  this  point 
are  from  6  to  10  feet  wide  on  top,  the  sides  inclining  inward  a  few 
degrees.  The  gatewa3's  through  the  outer  and  inner  walls  are  mere 
openings,  from  6  to  10  feet  wide  and  much  broken  down  at  the  sides. 
It  is  doubtful  if  they  were  ever  well  or  systematically  faced  up  and, 
as  I  have  suggested,  it  is  a  reasonable  question  as  to  whether  the 
outer  opening  is  really  an  original  gateway  or  a  breach  made  by 
recent  occupants  of  the  site  who  use  the  enclosure  as  a  pasture  and 
outlook.  Following  the  wall  along  the  southern  margin  of  the  sum- 
mit, a  second  opening  is  encountered  near  the  west  end,  through 
which  a  steep  descent  may  be  made  to  the  fields.  Farther  on  the 
rocky  summit  slopes  off  to  the  north  so  that  the  zigzag  wall,  fol- 
lowing the  edge  of  the  precipitous  slope,  is  quite  a  little  below  the 
crest.  I  am  not  positive  that  there  is  not  a  third  opening  through 
this  part  of  the  wall. 

Entering  the  exterior  opening  on  the  Mitlan  side,  the  visitor  turns 
to  the  left  along  the  outer  inclosure,  which  is  much  encumbered  with 
bushes  and,  passing  through  the  inner  gateway,  ascends  a  gentle 
slope  to  the  crest.  Here  an  interesting  group  of  ruins  is  encountered, 
the  first  member  of  which  overlooks  the  bowlder-guarded  gateway 
and  the  valleys  beyond,  and  affords  a  fine  panorama  of  Alitla  and  the 
whole  upper  sweep  of  the  valley.  The  group  of  structures  consists 
of  three  members  arranged  to  form  three  sides  of  a  quadrangle.  The 
east  and  south  buildings  are  of  adobe,  resembling  in  plan  and  appear- 
ance the  adobe  ruin  of  the  south-side  group  in  Mitla.  The  founda- 
tions are  of  adobe,  and  serve  merely  to  level  up  the  ground  and  sup- 
port the  superstructure,  projecting  onl}-  slightly  beyond  the  walls. 
The  latter,  formed  of  dark  adobe  filled  with  potsherds,  are  much 
broken  down  and  do  not  exceed  8  feet  in  height  at  any  point. 
They  are  2  or  3  feet  thick  and  show  traces  of  partitions  and  door- 
ways. The  third  member  of  the  group  is  an  oblong  stone  mound 
which  has  the  appearance  of  greater  antiquity  than  the  other  ruins, 
and  probably  originally  accommodated  some  sort  of  superstructure  ; 
between  this  and  the  north  building  the  sloping  ground  is  leveled  up 
somewhat  by  a  platform  faced  on  the  north  with  stone.  The  three  or 
four  ruins  within  the  inclosure  back  of  this  group  are  much  dilapi- 
dated and  present  no  new  features. 

There  are  everywhere  traces  of  occupation,  and  the  presence  of 
many  potsherds  and  occasional  mealing   stones   indicates  permanent 


Pl  XXXVII.     The  Fortified  Hill;    Eastern  Walls  as  Seen  from  Without. 


The  view  shows  the  approach  by  way  of  the  rocky  but  gradual  ascent  from 
the  Mitlan  (east)  side.  On  the  north,  south  and  west  sides  the  approaches  are  very 
steep.  The  point  of  view  chosen  is  the  only  available  one,  and  is  too  low  to  give 
a  good  idea  of  the  fortification.  The  outer  wall  is  in  front  with  the  present  gate- 
way at  the  left;  the  original  entrance  to  the  intra-mural  space  was  probably 
at  the  right  where  the  wall  terminates  against  some  large  bowlders.  The  opening 
through  the  inner  wall  is  at  the  extreme  left,  so  that  an  enemy  entering  at  the 
right  would  have  to  pass  the  entire  length  from  right  to  left  (some  300  feet) 
exposed  to  attack  from  the  inner  and  higher  wall.  A  small  portion  of  the  east 
wall  of  one  of  the  adobe  buildings  is  seen  above  this  wall  toward  the  right. 

While  Mr.  Thompson  made  the  view  the  writer  stood  on  the  inner  wall  a 
little  to  the  left  of  the  middle  of  the  picture  with  hand  held  aloft,  thus  afford- 
ing a  means  of  estimating  dimensions. 


PL.  XXXVIII.      Panoramic  View  of   MitlA. 


__^. ..^^.^^t^^^'f^^'^-^-^^l 


(^ 


r^ 


I 


Fee.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  279 

dwelling.  Water  was  probably  obtained  from  a  spring  at  the  base  of 
the  hill  on  the  Mitlan  side.  It  seems  not  improbable  that  burials  may 
be  discovered  on  such  parts  of  the  hill  adjoining  the  buildings  as  con- 
tain sufficient  soil  for  the  purpose,  as  a  recent  visitor,  Mr.  W.  F. 
Parker,  of  Omaha,  Neb.,  unearthed  some  human  bones  together  with 
various  minor  relics  near  the  eastern  gateway. 

It  strikes  me  as  not  improbable  that  this  fortress  is  of  rather 
recent  construction,  as  the  loosely  built  walls  are  remarkably  well 
preserved  ;  and  the  presence  of  adobe  buildings  also  suggests  a  late 
if  not  a  post-Spanish  occupation.  That  the  final  desertion  of  the 
stronghold  was  comparatively  late  is  well  shown  by  the  fact  that  the 
numerous  piles  of  stones  intended  for  defense  have  not  wholly  lost 
their  character  as  conical  heaps.  It  is  to  be  observed  further  that 
though  many  of  these  stones  are  artificial  in  shape  they  were  certainly 
not  rounded  for  use  in  defense,  but  are  merely  pickings  from  the  neigh- 
boring fields  where  they  were  originally  used,  probably  as  hammers, 
and  where  similar  forms  still  occur  in  great  numbers. 

QUARRYING  AND  CUTTING  STONE.  The  discovery  of  the 
quarries  from  which  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  ^Nlitla  obtained  their 
building  stone  is  a  matter  of  much  interest  to  the  student  of  pre- 
Spanish  America.  The  existence  of  such  quarries  is  mentioned  by 
several  writers,  but  little  information  is  given  save  that  they  are 
located  somewhere  along  the  bluffs  and  mountain  sides  near  the  city. 
Having  devoted  much  time  to  the  stud}'  of  quarry  phenomena  in  the 
United  States  where  the  primitive  tribes  quarried  and  worked  flint, 
soapstone  and  mica,  and  mined  copper,  I  was  especially  desirous  of 
learning  something  of  this  class  of  work  as  carried  on  by  nations  rep- 
resenting the  most  advanced  culture  of  the  Western  Continent. 
I  hoped  that  some  important  light  might  be  thrown  upon  the 
question  of  the  methods  employed  in  working  stone  by  these  peoples. 
Was  the  work  done  by  the  aid  of  stone  tools  and  were  the  half 
civilized  nations  yet  wholly  within  the  shadow  of  the  stone  age, 
or  had  they  processes  and  mechanical  appliances  wholly  unknown 
to  us  and  to  the  historical  peoples  with  whom  we  are  more  fully 
acquainted? 

I  was  fortunate  in  securing  much  evidence  upon  this  point  and 
have  reached  the  conclusion  that  there  is  no  specific  distinction 
between  the  work  done  at  Mitla  and  that  of  the  soapstone  workers  in 
Virginia,  Pennsylvania  and  Connecticut  ;  that  stone  tools  were  exten- 
sively if  not  exclusively  used,  and  that  the  picks,  axes,  sledges  and 
hammer-stones  employed  were  of  forms  familiar  to  most  of  our  abo- 
rigines. 


28o         FiKi.i)  Columbian   Muskum — An  ihropologv,   Vol.    i. 

The  stone  used  by  these  builders  for  facing  their  walls  within 
and  without,  for  the  great  lintels  and  door  jambs,  for  pillars,  stair- 
ways, columns  and  ceiling  stones,  is  a  variety  of  volcanic  lava  known 
as  trachyte.  It  is  a  massive  light  gray  rock  of  moderate  density  and 
hardness  but  reasonably  tough  and  durable  and  easily  split  and  hewn. 
It  is  the  main  constituent  of  the  mountain  masses  that  surround  and 
overlook  Mitla,  and  outcrops  in  the  bluffs  and  liigher  cliffs  on  all 
hands.  Where  the  compact  lava  flows  overlie  rocks  of  less  durabilit}' 
they  are  undermined  at  the  margins  and  break  down  of  their  own 
w^eight,  leaving  the  fresh  surface  exposed  and  in  man\-  places  visible 
from  the  valley.  The  huge  detached  masses,  more  or  less  rounded 
b}'  weathering,  lie  along  the  precipice  base  and  scattered  down  the 
slopes. 

The  builders  of  Mitla  sought  and  used  not  only  these  convenient 
masses,  but  went  much  farther  and  attacked  the  solid  rock  in  place, 
cutting  it  out  in  large  bodies  which  were  transported  long  distances 
over  rough  country.  For  ordinary  purposes  of  building  the  smaller 
masses  of  stone  could  be  obtained  near  at  hand,  and  great  quanti- 
ties were  used  for  pyramids  and  terraces  and  for  the  hearting  of 
massive  walls;  but  to  secure  bodies  for  cutting  and  carving  the}'  did 
not  hesitate  at  great  undertakings.  Leaving  the  multitude  of  rough 
masses  that  lay  near  at  hand,  as,  for  example,  at  the  base  of  the  forti- 
fied hill  a  mile  away,  they  followed  the  lower  outcrop  several  miles 
to  the  east,  and  even  climbed  the  mountain  ridge  at  the  north  in 
search  of  stone  exactly  suited  to  their  rude  but  effective  chisels. 

The  nearest  evidence  of  work  so  far  as  observed  is  at  the  base  of 
the  lower  bluff  on  the  north  side  of  the  valley  two  miles  east  of  the 
ruins.  From  this  point  transportation  was  comparatively  easy  as  the 
way  was  down  gentle  slopes  cut  only  by  occasional  arroyos  and 
smaller  gullies  which  could  be  passed  without  great  difficulty.  But 
the  main  quarries  are  found  on  the  upper  slopes  of  the  range  to  the 
north  nearly  a  thousand  feet  ab9ve  the  city  and  five  or  six  miles 
away.  The  feats  of  engineering  necessary  to  transport  masses  of 
stone  many  tons  in  weight  down  a  thousand  feet  of  precipitous  moun- 
tain face,  accomplished  by  these  stone  age  quarr^'men,  would  be 
regarded  as  important  undertakings  even  b}^  our  enterprising  engi- 
neers of  to-day.  Their  means  and  appliances  were  no  doubt  extremely 
simple,  and  much  time  must  have  been  consumed  in  the  work.  In  view 
of  the  vast  results  accomplished  I  believe  we  are  warranted  in 
assuming  the  employment  of  large  numbers  of  men  directed  by  a 
despotic  power — a  power  not  limited  by  the  life  of  an  individual  but 
continued  without  break  from  generation  to  generation. 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


281 


We  have  not  secured  any  direct  evidence  of  the  means  of 
transportation,  though  this  may  be  done  in  time  ;  and  it  is  possible 
that  even  the  routes  over  which  the  great  stones  were  carried  may  yet 
be  traced  upon  the  mountain  sides. 

For  the  present  I  must  content  myself  with  the  evidences  of 
quarrying  and  cutting  stone,  which  are  sufficiently  remarkable  and  so 
well  defined  that  speculation  need  not  enter  into  the  presentation  of 
the  case.  Mr.  E.  H.  Thompson,  who  was  my  companion  and 
co-laborer  throughout  the  trip,  visited  the  high  mountain  quarries 
known  to  the  present  natives  of  Mitia,  while  I  skirted  the  lower 
bluffs  seeking  traces  of  the  workings  that  it  seemed,  from  the  char- 
acter of  the  cliffs,  should  exist  there.      Taking  a  guide  and  horses  he 


Fig.   100.     Method  of  Cutting  Out  Blocks  of  Trachyte  in  the  Quarry.     Drawn 
FROM  Description  of  Mr.  Thompson. 

climbed  the  mountain  to  the  north,  and  just  before  reaching  the  sum- 
mit, nearly  a  thousand  feet  above  the  village  and  at  least  six  miles 
away,  encountered  the  quarry.  About  it  were  several  large  blocks, 
already  removed  from  their  beds,  while  others  had  been  left  parth'  cut 
out  or  only  outlined.  The  work  had  been  undertaken  on  the  sloping 
surface  of  a  solid  mass  of  the  trachyte.  Channels  had  been  cut  the 
full  length  of  the  blocks  desired  and  to  the  proper  depth,  and  likewise 
across  the  ends;  when  these  were  widened  sufficiently,  undercutting 
was  begun  and  carried  on  until  the  mass  was  severed  and  could  be 
broken  off  by  the  aid  of  levers  or  wedges  of  wood,  possibly  aided  by 
water.  After  the  removal  of  one  block  the  amount  of  cutting  for  each 
stone  was  reduced  somewhat,  as  one  side  only,  instead  of  two,  had  to 
be  channeled.      The  channels  observed  were  a  foot  or  more  wide  and 


282         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,   Vol.  i. 

the  depth  was  about  three  feet  in  the  deepest.  Figure  loo  will  suffi- 
cientl}-  indicate  the  nature  of  the  work,  though  in  a  very  formal  way. 
The  stone  at  the  right  has  been  removed  and  set  upon  edge;  the  next 
one  is  free  and  blocked  up  on  small  stones:  the  third  is  well  undercut 
and  the  fourth  is  channeled  nearly  to  the  full  depth. 

The  larger  blocks  among  the  half  dozen  wholly  removed  and  set 
on  edge  are  12  feet  or  more  in  length  by  5  or  6  wide,  and  from  2)^  to 
3  feet  thick.  Such  a  stone  would  weigh  perhaps  fifteen  tons.  The 
intention  of  the  quarrymen  was  possibly  not  to  carry  these  blocks 
directly  down  the  mountain  but  to  take  some  roundabout  way  that 
would  give  reasonabl}'  gentle  slopes. 


Fig. 


101.     Partially  He7/n  Block  of  Trachyte  at  Base  of  Lower  Bluff  Two 
Miles  East  of  Mitla. 


My  own  observations  along  the  lower  bluff  were  of  equal  interest 
and  furnished  important  evidence  as  to  the  work  of  cutting  and  dress- 
ing the  stone.  The  most  striking  illustration  is  that  furnished  by  a 
partially  hewn  block  lying  at  the  base  of  a  massive  overhanging  wall 
two  miles  east  of  the  ruins.  Originally  the  mass  was  about  23  feet 
long  and  probably  averaged  5  or  6  feet  wide  and  as  much  in  height, 
though  far  from  regular  in  shape.  The  work  of  shaping  this  stone 
and  dividing  it  into   parts  was  well  underway  when  oi)erations  ceased. 


Feb.   1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


283 


The  pick  marks  are  everywhere  distinctly  seen  and  the  heavy  stone 
picks  lie  all  around  the  massive  block  with  their  bruised  points  and 
flaked  margins  almost  as  fresh  looking  as  if  sharpened  and  used  but 
a  year  ago.  The  remarkable  outline  to  which  the  block  had  been 
reduced  when  the  work  ceased  is  best  shown  by  the  sketches  pre- 
sented in  Figs.   loi  and  102. 

The  top  and  portions  of  the  sides  had  been  reduced  to  approxi- 
mate shape,  but  it  was  evidently  intended  to  cut  the  mass  up  into  a 
number  of  pieces.  This  may  have  been  the  original  intention,  or 
may  have  resulted  from  the  appearance  of  a  flaw  which  crosses 
obliquely  nearly  through  the  center  of  the  stone.  At  any  rate,  the 
cutting  of  the  sides  and  top  indicates  that  it  was  planned  in  the  first 
place  to  separate  the  mass  into  at  least  two  blocks,  as  the  faces  of 
the  larger  end  are  not  on  a  line  with  those  of  the  smaller  end. 


Fig.  102.     Partially  Hewn  Block  of  Trachyte  Showing  Progress  of  Cutting. 

The  method  pursued  in  dressing  the  stone  is  readily  observed.  The 
upper  surface  was  first  leveled  off  and  the  size  of  the  block  or  blocks 
determined  upon;  then  the  work  of  hewing  the  sides  and  ends  began. 
The  top  was  outlined  all  around  and  the  vertical  cutting  followed. 
As  seen  in  Fig.  loi  the  farther  end  is  squared  down  to  the  ground, 
but  the  larger  mass  at  the  front  is  not  yet  half  cut  away,  large  pro- 
jections below  remaining  to  be  removed.  On  the  other  side  the  work 
is  even  less  advanced,  as  shown  in  Fig.  102. 


284 


Field  Columbian    Museum — Anthropoi.ug\  ,    Vol.   i. 


All  over  these  surfaces  are  seen  the  evidences  of  tedious  labor; 
here  a  workman  had  pecked  away  until  a  broad  shallow  channel,  deep- 
ened to  the  proper  plane,  was  carried  down  toward  the  base.  Next 
this  is  another  area  of  cutting,  and  beyond  another  and  still  another, 
as  if  many  workmen  had  labored  side  by  side,  leaving  low  ridges 
between  the  area  covered  by  each.  Though  lying  here  open  to  the 
weather  for  more  than  four  hundred  years,  the  pick  marks  are  clearly 
visible,  and  even  the  direction  of  the  stroke  and  the  width  and  nature 
of  the  blunt  point  of  the  pick  are  strongly  suggested. 

Difficult  as  was  the  dressing  of  the  top  and  sides,  the  cutting 
of  vertical  channels  for  dividing  the  blocks,  and  the  undercutting 
required  to  remove  irregularities  of  the  base,  must  have  been  much 
more  formidable.  The  cross  channels,  as  indicated  in  the  drawing,  are 
wide  and  somewhat  irregular,  and  had  not  reached  much  more  than  a 
foot  in  depth  in  any  case  when  the  work  ceased.  The  work  as  a  whole 
presents  close  analogies  with  that  done  in  the  soapstone  mines  of  the 
United  States,  where  channeling  and  undercutting,  though  on  a 
smaller  scale,  were  constantly  resorted  to. 

Turning  from  this  most  interesting  and  instructive  illustration  of 
the  nature  of  the  work  done  by  the  ancient  stone  cutters,  I  sought 
traces  of  the  tools  emploj'ed  and  was  repaid  b)'  numerous  finds. 
Scattered  all  around  were  battered,  pick-shaped  stones,  irregular 
sledge-like  masses  and  rounded  or  discoidal  hammer-stones.      These 


Picks  Found  in  the  Vicinity  of  the  Large,  Partially  Hewn  Stone. 


tools  were  undoubtedly  used  in  the  stone  cutting  operations,  as  appar- 
ently no  other  work  had  been  carried  on  in  the  vicinit}'.  They  were 
made  of  roundish  masses  or  of  water-worn  bowlders  of  the  harder 
varieties  of  volcanic  lava  brought  from  the  valley  below  or  from  some 
more  distant  localit}'.  In  appearance  these  implements  were  exactly 
like  the  rude  picks  found  in  our  northern  quarries  and  on  village  sites 
in  many    parts    of    the    country.      Typical  specimens    are    shown    in 


Pl.  XL.     Stone  Pick  from  a  Mitlan  Quarry. 


This  is  a  typical  example  of  the  large,  rude  picks  found  in  considerable 
numbers  in  the  quarry,  two  miles  east  of  Mitla.  It  was  sharpened  by  fracture, 
and  was  doubtless  hafted  when  in  use.     One-half  actual  size. 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,   PL.  XL. 


.-.«i:^ 


it  *- 


Stone  Pck  Used  in  Quarrying  Stone,     (one-half  actual  size 


Pl.  XLI.     Hammer-Stone  and  Celt  Found  in  a  Mitlan  Quarry. 


The  large  hammer-stone  shown  in  a  is  made  of  trachyte  by  flaking,  and  is 
battered  around  the  periphery  indicating  much  use.  It  is  identical  in  appearance 
with  the  flint-quarry  hammer-stones  of  the  United  States.     One-half  actual  size. 

The  celt  or  hatchet  shown  in  b  was  found  near  the  hewn  stone  in  the  quarry 
and  may  have  been  used  in  the  work  of  shaping  it.     One-half  actual  size. 


o 


Feb.  1897.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  285 

outline  in  Fig.  103,  and  an  average  example,  which  I  carried  home,  is 
presented  in  PI.  XL.  As  a  matter  of  course  all  of  these  implements 
were  hafted  when  in  use. 

A  hammer-stone  is  given  in  PI.  XLI-(7.  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to 
find  on  the  slope,  a  few  5'ards  below  the  partiall}-  hewn  block,  a  short, 
heavy,  polished  celt  or  adz  of  dark  looking  dioritic  rock,  PI.  XLI-/;, 
which  may  have  been  used  in  the  work,  but  the  presence  of  so  many 
of  the  ruder  specimens  makes  it  probable  that  they  almost  exclusively 
were  used — at  least  in  roughing  out  the  blocks.  Polished  axes  may 
have  been  employed  in  final  stages  of  the  cutting.  Copper  celts  are 
found  in  Mitla.  as  in  other  places  in  Mexico  and  Yucatan,  but  it  does 
not  appear  that  they  could  have  served  any  purpose  in  stone  cutting, 
as  the  metal  is  too  soft  for  effective  execution.  These  celt  forms  were 
probably  hafted,  as  are  the  modern  iron  celt-axes  of  Mitla,  by  being 
set  in  a  socket  in  a  hardwood  handle. 

FLAKED  STONE  IMPLEMENTS.  It  is  an  interesting  circumstance 
that  Mitla,  whose  architectural  remains  represent  the  most  advanced 
neolithic  culture,  should  furnish  also  plentiful  traces  of  the  practice 
of  the  simpler  phases  of  art  in  stone.  Flaked  stones  are  found 
on  all  hands,  and  represent  at  least  three  distinct  classes,  (i)  the 
picks  and  hammer-stones  employed  in  the  quarries  for  cutting  out  and 
rough  dressing  the  great  stones  used  in  the  buildings,  (2)  a  very 
numerous  class  of  flaked  stones — cores,  flakes  and  hammer-stones — 
found  in  and  about  the  ruins,  (3)  the  rejectage  of  flint  blade  making 
found  on  a  shop  site  some  distance  west  of  the  ruins. 

The  quarry  implements  have  already  been  described  and  belong, 
without  doubt,  to  the  latest  period  of  pre-Columbian  occupation. 
Implements  of  the  second  group  probably  also  belong  to  this  period 
of  building  and  are  illustrated  in  Pis.  XLII,  XLIII  and  XLIV.  They 
are  distributed  through  the  surface  soil  of  Mitla  and  are  found  in 
great  numbers  in  the  cultivated  fields  bordering  the  stream  above  and 
below  the  village.  They  are  generally  formed  of  a  coarse,  yellowish, 
striped  flint  or  flinty  quartzite,  and  include  (i)  core-like  forms  from 
which  the  flakes  have  been  struck,  (2)  the  flakes  struck  off,  and  (3) 
the  globular  hammer-stones  used  in  flaking  and  probably  also  in  other 
shaping  operations.  The  most  remarkable  fact  relating  to  these  flints 
is  that  they  are  found- — especially  the  cores  and  flakes — in  great  num- 
bers in  the  adobe  mortar  used  in  hearting  the  walls  and  pyramids  of 
the  great  buildings  of  Mitla.  It  is  not  unusual  to  find  the  cores  in 
nests  of  two,  three  or  more,  and  a  dozen  may  be  seen  in  the  crum- 
bling wall  of  the  Quadrangle  of  the  Basement  Galleries  from  a  single 
point   of  view.      The   flakes    and    small    fragments    are    much    more 


286         Field  Columbian  Museum — Axthropolocv,  Vol.    i. 

numerous,  but  do  not,  on  account  of  their  small  size  and  lack  of 
specialized  shape,  attract  so  much  attention. 

Certain  questions  arise  with  respect  to  the  occurrence  of  these 
flints.  First,  are  they  in  the  soil  as  a  result  of  operations  carried  on  at 
some  earlier  period,  making  their  association  with  the  building  purely 
adventitious?  Second,  were  they  or  an}'  of  them  made  to  be  used  in 
connection  with  cutting  or  dressing  the  stone  for  the  buildings,  thus, 
when  discarded,  becoming  intermingled^ with  the  soil  and  with  the 
adobe?  Third,  were  the  flints  gathered  and  flaked  to  be  added  to  the 
adobe  for  the  purpose  of  increasing  its  durabilit}'?  As  yet  I  am  not 
able  to  give  satisfactory  answers  to  these  questions. 

The  stone  used  undoubtedly  occurs  in  the  neighborhood  and  in 
bodies  sufficient  to  be  quarried,  or  in  surface  masses  so  numerous  as 
to  be  collected  in  considerable  quantities.  Its  flaking  qualities  are 
not  superior.  The  most  striking  of  the  shaped  forms  is  the  core  or 
nucleus,  examples  of  which  are  seen  in  PI.  XLII.  They  almost 
exactly  duplicate  the  cores  found  in  flint  quarries  of  the  United  States, 
and  are  from  i  to  4  inches  in  diameter  at  the  upper  end,  and  gen- 
erally somewhat  conical  below.  In  typical  specimens  the  crown  is 
circular  and  flat,  and  the  sides  are  fluted  as  a  result  of  the  removal 
of  successive  flakes.  In  the  plate  the  cores  are  shown  in  an  inverted 
position. 

The  flakes  associated  with  the  cores  or  nuclei  in  the  soil  and  in 
the  adobe  of  the  buildings  are  illustrated  in  PI.  XLIII.  They  show 
the  usual  features  of  nuclei-derived  flakes — the  faceted  exterior,  the 
conchoidal  or  flat  back,  the  sharp  lateral  edges  and  the  more  or  less 
acute  point.  One  question  that  arises  with  respect  to  these  objects 
is  as  to  whether  the  cores  alone  were  designed  to  be  used  or 
the  flakes  alone,  or  both.  Examination  of  hundreds  of  the  flakes 
indicates  that  few  have  been  used,  though  rare  specimens  are  chipped 
to  a  beveled  edge  at  one  side,  as  if  for  use  as  scrapers  or  chisels. 
The  site  furnishes  no  other  implements,  such  as  arrow-points,  that 
could  have  been  made  from  such  flakes. 

The  most  natural  theory  with  respect  to  these  flints  is  that  since 
they  are  found  so  plentifully  about  the  ancient  building  they  were 
employed  in  the  work  of  cutting  stone.  Possibly  the  flakes,  set  in 
handles,  were  used  in  the  manner  of  the  modern  bush  hammer. 
Possibh'  the  cores  were  to  be  used  in  a  similar  manner.  In  support 
of  the  latter  idea  I  may  mention  the  fact  that  man}'  of  the  cores  show 
battered  edges  as  if  used  in  cutting  or  pecking  operations;  and  it  is 
also  true  that  very  many  have  been  so  much  battered  that  the  core 
form    is  lost,    and    they    have    become    fully  developed  discoidal  or 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,  PL.    XLII. 


^'     "V. 


Flint  Cores,  from  which   Flakes  Have  Been  Struck  Off.     (three-fourths 

ACTUAL    SiZE.) 


FIELD   COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM, 


ANTHROPOLOGY,  PL.  XLIIL 


Flint  Flakes  and  Scrapers  from   Mitla.     (three-fourths  actual  size.) 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,    PL.  XLIV. 


/ 


''"'•  *-*'« 


f. 


s  ^      / 


w 


/ 


Hammer-Stones  from  Mitla.     (three-fourths  actual  size.) 


Fee.  1897.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  287 

globular  hammer-stones.  Typically  developed  hammer-stones  are 
shown  in  PI.  XLIV.  The  fact  that,  with  the  exception  of  these 
objects,  there  are  no  implements  in  sight  that  could  have  been 
employed  in  the  extensive  work  of  dressing  the  stone  employed  in 
building  tends  to  support  the  idea  that  they  were  really  the  sculptur- 
ing tools  of  the  ancient  builders. 

Flaked  stones  of  the  third  variety  do  not  occur  in  Mitla,  but  are 
found  at  the  base  of  the  fortified  hill,  a  mile  to  the  west.  Descending 
from  the  hill  by  the  long  eastern  spur,  I  came  upon  an  excellent 
spring  of  water  at  the  base,  and  about  it  encountered  traces  of  flint 
flaking.  The  gentle  slope  east  of  the  spring  had  recently  been 
scratched  with  the  plow,  and  the  ground  was  filled  with  broken  flint, 
generally  of  a  grayish  hue,  and  wholly  distinct  from  the  yellowish 
flinty  rock  worked  elsewhere.  Shop  refuse  occurred  over  the  space 
of  an  acre  or  more,  and  the  rejectage  duplicated  in  every  way  that  of 
the  flint  shops  of  the  United  States.  I  found  but  one  hammer-stone, 
and  that  was  imperfect;  but  there  were  many  of  the  abortive,  leaf- 
shape  blades  intermingled  with  the  flakes  and  fragments,  and  speci- 
mens are  shown  in  PI.  XLV.  There  was  evidence  of  no  other  work 
than  that  of  blade  making,  and  it  seems  not  improbable  that  this 
site  was  occupied  by  a  people  distinct  from  the  builders  of  Mitla,  or 
possibly  by  the  Mitlan  stock  at  an  earlier  period  of  its  history.  The 
slopes  of  the  valley  everywhere  furnish  bits  of  bright  colored  flint, 
and  traces  of  working  are  encountered  at  every  step,  yet  very  few 
flaked  implements  are  found,  and  I  did  not  see  a  single  well  shaped 
arrow-point  while  in  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Mitla.  Finely  made  flaked 
blades  and  specialized  points  are  occasionally  found,  however,  in  the 
Oaxacan  region. 

COPPER  IMPLEMENTS.  Among  the  most  characteristic  of  the 
Mitlan  art  remains  are  certain  hatchet  or  tau-shaped  objects  of 
hammered  copper  found  in  very  considerable  numbers  in  graves,  and 
possibly  also  in  hoards  or  caches.  Measured  with  the  stem  they  vary 
from  4  to  7  inches  in  length,  and  the  width  across  the  blade  is  about 
the  same.  As  the  blades  do  not  exceed  one-tenth  of  an  inch  in 
thickness  in  any  part,  it  is  apparent  that  they  could  not  have  been 
employed  as  hatchets  or  chisels,  although  set  in  handles  they  would 
perhaps  have  served  a  good  purpose  as  trowels,  knives  or  scrapers. 
The  generally  accepted  theory  of  their  use  is  that  they  were  the 
money  of  the  ancients,  or  at  least  served  as  a  standard  of  value.  It 
may  be  remarked  that  the  shape  and  tenuity  suggest  the  possibility 
of  their  use  as  ornaments,  and  it  appears  that  if  well  polished  and 
set  as  a  crowning  feature  in  a  helmet  or  head-dress,  they  would  prove 


288  Field  Columbian  ^Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.  i. 

very  effective.  Possibly,  however,  they  were  symbols  and  served 
some  religious  purpose. 

The  only  other  objects  of  copper  that  have  come  to  my  notice 
are  a  few  celts  or  chisels  of  ordinary  shape  and  size. 

POTTERY.  The  ceramic  art  of  the  Oaxacan  province  presents 
many  unique  features  and  bears  evidence  of  boldness  and  freedom  in 
the  manipulation  of  clay.  There  are  vessels  of  almost  every 
variety  and  form,  but  the  genius  of  the  potter  was  expended  on 
a  class  of  figurine  vases  often  of  large  size  and  remarkable  elabora- 
tion. The  vessel — which  always  remained  as  a  foundation  or  nucleus 
for  the  piece,  though  much  subordinated — was  faced  or  nearly  covered 
with  strange  human  figures  decked  in  gaudy  attire  and  loaded  with 
extraordinary  symbols.  This  ware  was  sometimes  painted,  but  usu- 
ally it  is  in  the  plain  gray  color  of  the  baked  clay;  numerous  frag- 
ments are  found  on  most  of  the  ancient  sites,  and  our  museums 
contain  many  handsome  and  perfectly  preserved  pieces.  As  I  have 
in  hand  a  special  work  on  the  Ceramic  Art  of  Mexico,  I  shall  not 
enter  into  a  discussion  of  the  subject  in  this  place. 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN     MUSEUM. 


ANTHROPOLOGY.  PL.  XLV. 


f 


Flint  Rejectage  of  Blade  Making  from  a  Shop  Near  Mitla. 
one-half  actual  size. 


RUINS  OF  THE  VALLEY  OF  MEXICO. 


SAN  JUAN  TEOTIHUACAN. 


RANK  OF  THE  CITY.  My  two  brief  visits  to  the  ancient  city 
called  San  Juan  Teotihuacan  do  not  warrant  an  attempt  at  mono- 
graphic treatment,  but  I  may  profitably  present  a  panoramic  view  with 
brief  descriptions,  and  a  few  paragraphs  recording  my  impressions  of 
this  group  of  ruins.  In  the  magnitude  of  its  remains  and  in  the  evi- 
dence the  site  furnishes  of  population  and  antiquity,  Teotihuacan 
stands  easily  at  the  head  of  the  ancient  cities  of  Mexico.  It  lacks  the 
well-preserved,  sculpture-decorated  buildings  found  elsewhere  in 
Mexico  and  Central  America,  but  this  is  doubtless  due  to  the  rarity 
of  suitable  building  stone  in  this  part  of  the  valley.  The  famous 
structures  of  Mitla,  Palenque,  Uxmal  and  Chichen-Itza,  had  they 
been  built  of  such  materials  as  are  here  available,  would  to-day  be 
mere  rounded  heaps  of  debris.  In  dimensions,  these  cities  in  no  way 
compare  with  the  colossal  piles  of  the  chief  city  of  the  plateau.  The 
bulk  of  the  great  cluster  of  pyramids,  terraces  and  mounds 
is  far  in  excess  of  that  of  any  other  group  of  remains.  Cholula 
has  a  greater  pyramid  but  lacks  the  multiplicity  of  attendant  struc- 
tures which  at  San  Juan  cover  square  miles  of  ground.  If  the  entire 
mass  of  the  ruined  structures  of  either  Chichen,  Uxmal  or  Mitla  was 
to  be  heaped  up  in  a  single  mound,  it  would  hardly  surpass  the  great 
Pyramid  of  the  Sun  alone  in  bulk,  and  the  whole  bulk  of  the 
Teotihuacan  remains  is  many  times  that  of  its  chief  pyramid. 

HISTORY  AND  PEOPLE.  Of  the  history  of  this  great  center  of 
population  and  culture,  we  have  hardly  a  trace  save  that  furnished  by 
the  remains  themselves.  The  building  of  the  city  has  generally  been 
attributed  to  the  "  Toltecs,"  but  we  cannot  safely  say  more  than  that 
the  builders  were  probably  one  of  the  numerous  Nahuatl  nations  that 
for  many  centuries  dominated  the  valley  of  Mexico.  Though  the  name 
of  the  nation  is  not  known,  it  is  clear  that  the  people,  whatsoever 
their  period  or  affinities,  were  intelligent,  enterprising  and  powerful, 
and  that  their  sway  extended  over  a  long  period  of  years.  The  art 
remains  indicate  a  culture  differing  decidedly  from  that  of  Tenochtit- 
lan — the  Aztec  capital,  now  the  capital  city  of  Mexico — differing  from 

289 


2go  Field  Columbian   Museum — Anthropoloc;v,   Vol.  i. 

it  in  so  many  ways  as  to  warrant  the  inference  of  a  distinct  nation; 
but  at  the  same  time  the  analogies  are  so  close  and  numerous  that 
the  two  peoples,  if  not  of  the  same  stock,  must  have  been  closely 
associated  for  a  great  number  of  years. 

The  nature  and  arrangement  of  the  principal  structures  and 
features  of  the  city  would  indicate  the  dominance  of  religious 
motives  in  their  construction,  and  this,  coupled  with  the  well-known 
fact  that  ceremonial  life  among  the  native  peoples  in  general  was  of 
vast  importance,  warrants  the  conclusion  that  Teotihuacan  was  in  a 
sense  a  religious  center;  but  it  does  not  follow  that  any  part  of  it  may 
not  have  been  devoted  to  secular  uses,  and  it  seems  certain  that, 
aside  from  the  great  central  features,  the  cit}^  was  largely  one  of 
residence,  for  there  are  here  more  decided  and  extensive  traces  of 
domestic  architecture  than  in  an}^  other  of  the  great  cities  of  the 
country.  It  is  noted  that  among  all  the  monuments  and  relics  of  art 
there  is  a  singular  absence  of  indications  of  a  warlike  spirit,  and, 
though  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  think  of  a  great  American  nation 
not  built  up  and  kept  together  on  a  military  basis,  the  position  of  the 
place  may  have  been  so  commanding  as  to  raise  it  for  a  time  above 
the  level  of  ordinary  strifes.  It  is  probable  that  agriculture  was  the 
chief  resource  of  the  people,  though  many  other  arts  and  industries 
flourished. 

LOCATION  AND  PLAN.  The  ruins  are  located  25  miles  north- 
east of  the  City  of  Mexico,  and  occupy  a  gently  sloping  site  in  the 
midst  of  a  broad  fertile  valley  opening  out  to  the  southwest  into  the 
great  basin  of  Lake  Texcoco  and  to  the  northeast  into  the  higher 
level  plateau.x.  On  the  north  the  hills  are  near  at  hand,  while  on  the 
south,  as  seen  in  the  panorama,  the  cone-capped  ridges  are  much 
farther  off  extending  in  a  long  line  toward  the  southwest.  In  the  lay- 
ing out  of  Teotihuacan  there  is  more  evidence  of  foresight  and  system 
than  in  most  of  the  ancient  cities.  Though  the  orientation  is  not 
accurate — the  main  features  of  the  plan  shewing  an  error  of  about  15 
degrees — the  important  features  are  arranged  in  more  or  less  complete 
harmony  and  regularity  about  a  great  arterN'-like  thoroughfare  called 
the  "Camino  de  los  Muertos" — the  "Pathway  of  the  Dead." 

In  matters  of  assemblage  the  analogies  are  closer  with  Monte 
Alban  than  with  the  other  cities,  though  the  contracted  nature  of  the 
site  of  the  latter  did  not  permit  the  freedom  of  arrangement  possible 
in  San  Juan.  The  greater  courts,  pyramids  and  groups  of  structures 
are  surrounded  by  numerous  inferior  pyramids  more  or  less  sym- 
metrical in  placement,  and  throughout  the  wilderness  of  remains  the 
quadrangular  idea  can  be  frequently  recognized. 


Fee.  1897. 


Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


291 


SUBSTRUCTURES.  The  two  great  pyramids  stand  in  a  class 
by  themselves,  entirely  overshadowing  the  multitude  of  piles  that 
cover  the  plain.  These  pyramids,  as  well  as  all  other  pyramidal 
masses,  were  probably  substructures  for  buildings.  All  were  trun- 
cated and  ascended  by  stairways,  and  the  sides  of  the  loftier  were 
generally  terraced.  In  appearance  nearly  all  resemble  mere  heaps  of 
debris,  for  the  superstructures  have  crumbled  and  buried  the  founda- 
tion masses,  and  these  latter  are  much  broken  down  about  the  sum- 
mits, and  often  rendered  unsymmetrical  by  modern  excavation  and  the 
inroads  of  the  plow  and  hoe  ;  yet  in  very  many  cases  the  original 
rectangular  outlines  and  flat  tops  are  traceable,  and  in  the  panorama 
these  features  have  been  somewhat  strengthened,  thus  expressing  what 
is  known  through  a  close  examination  rather  than  what  is  seen  from  a 
distance  through  a  veil  of  foliage  and  debris. 

SUPERSTRUCTURES.  All  the  loftier  structures  and  those  occu- 
pying elevated  sites  have  entirely  disappeared,  as  their  exposed  posi- 
tion has  rendered  them  a  quick  prey  to  the  agencies  of  destruction. 
But  many  lower  level  buildings,  especially  domiciliary  structures,  must 


^*- 


Fig.  104.     Portion  of  Ground-Plan  of  Building  Uncovered  by  Charnay, 


still  be  preserved  beneath  the  debris,  and  the  discoveries  of  Charnay 
and  Batres,  which  have  thrown  light  on  many  obscure  points  must  in 
time  be  supplemented  by  other  even  more  important  revelations.  The 
ground  plan  of  the  building  disclosed  by  Charnay  is  highly  compli- 
cated (Fig.  104),  and  shows  a  degree  of  specialization  of  apartments, 
passageways  and  courts  entirely  unknown  in  the  southern  and  east- 
ern cities. 

All  classes  of  structures  were  built  of  irregular  masses  and  frag- 
ments of  lava — gathered  largely,  no  doubt,  from  the  neighboring  slopes 
and  hills — and  of  adobe — the  earth  of  the  plains  more  or  less  inter- 
mingled with  comminuted  volcanic  materials — obtained  from  the 
vicinity  of  the  building  sites.  Construction  was  massive  and  strong, 
the  adobe  acting  as  a  cement,  but  when  the  walls  were  neglected  and 


292  Field  Columbian   Museum — An thkopologv,   Vol.  i. 

exposed  to  the  elements  disintegration  was  comparatively  rapid. 
The  exterior  surfaces  of  the  walls  were  carried  up — in  some  cases  at 
least — with  a  slight  inward  incline.  It  happens  that  none  of  the 
walls,  so  far  uncovered,  are  preserved  to  their  full  height. 

Facings  of  important  surfaces  were  sometimes  of  selected  stone. 
Hewn  stone  was  little  used,  and  the  laying  of  regular  courses  in 
mortar  was  not  common.  All  surfaces  were  evened  up  with  mortar 
and  finished  in  color ;  and  some  were  decorated  with  mythologic  as 
well  as  formal  designs. 

Details  of  construction  are  not  well  made  out ;  doors  were  rectan- 
gular and  comparatively  plain  ;  but  no  windows  have  been  observed. 
It  is  believed  that  the  roofs  were  flat  and  formed  of  wooden  beams 
covered  with  thick  layers  of  cement.  Historic  records  show  that  this 
was  true  of  the  neighboring  cit}^  of  Texcoco,  though  drawings  in  the 
various  codices  indicate  a  preponderance  of  sloping  roofs  throughout 
Mexico.  Where  extended  chamber  space  was  required  masonr}'  pillars 
were  built  to  support  the  beams.  These  pillars,  as  exposed  by 
Charnay's  excavations,  were  square  and  had  inclined  faces.  Temple 
architecture  must  have  presented  many  unique,  handsome  and  possibly 
imposing  features,  and  the  indications  are  that  dwellings — probably 
largely  communal — were  of  a  somewhat  pretentious  character. 

Among  my  photographs  I  find  one,  made  by  W.  H.  Jackson  dur- 
ing our  visit  to  San  Juan  in  1883,  which  represents  the  structure 
uncovered  by  Charnay  in  1880.  As  this  view  seems  to  give  a  much 
more  satisfactory  idea  of  the  remains  than  anything  published  by  the 
explorer  in  his  handsome  work,  it  is  perhaps  advisable  to  reproduce 
it  here  (PI.  XLVI).  In  it  we  are  looking  toward  the  southeast 
across  the  great  six-column  chamber  or  hall  from  the  point  marked  a, 
Fig.  104.  The  Pathway  of  the  Dead  passes  to  the  left  of  the  excava- 
tion, and  is  indicated  by  a  line  of  dark  trees.  Beyond  the  Arroyo  of 
the  Rio  San  Juan — which  is  near  at  hand,  though  entirely  hidden  by 
foliage — and  a  little  to  the  right  of  the  middle  of  the  picture,  a 
glimpse  is  obtained  of  the  pyramid  which  stands  within  the  inclosure 
of  the  Citadel ;  and  dimly  shadowed  forth  in  the  far  distance  is  the 
mountain  mass  seen  to  better  advantage  in  the  panorama.  The  floor 
of  the  house  was  evidently  finished  in  white  cement  or  plaster,  and 
the  six  sloping  pillar  bases  and  the  walls  are  likewise  plastered. 
Charnay  was  unable  to  determine  the  nature  of  the  upper  part  of 
the  columns,  but  the  walls  are  sufficiently  well  preserved  to  show 
that  they,  at  least,  were  carried  up  perpendicularly  to  their  full 
height.  The  columns  were  also  probably  continued  in  masonry, 
although  timbers  may  have  been  used. 


Pl.  XLVI.     Foundations  Exposed  by  Charnay's  Excavations  at  Teotihuacan. 


In  the  view  we  are  looking  to  the  southwest  across  the  ruin  of  the  large  hall 
in  which  are  the  bases  of  six  masonry  columns  supposed  to  have  served  in  sup- 
porting the  roof.  The  Pathway  of  the  Dead  passes  obliquely  across  the  picture 
just  beyond  the  farther  pair  of  column  bases.     Photograph  by  W.  H.  Jackson. 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  293 

SCULPTURE.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  few  elaborate  sculp- 
tures have  been  found  at  Teotihuacan.  The  best  known  specimens 
are  the  two  large  idols  in  human  form  shown  in  Figs.  105  and  106. 
They  are  crude — even  archaic — in  their  treatment.  The  serpent  was  a 
prominent  subject  here  as  elsewhere  in  Mexico,  as  indicated  by  sev- 
eral sculptures  published  by  Charnay.  Although  many  minor  pieces 
exhibiting  skill  in  carving  have  been  found,  there  appears  to  be  noth- 
ing to  compare  with  the  elaborate,  highly  finished  and  tasteful  work 
of  the  great  Aztec  and  Texcocan  districts  about  the  lakes.  Stone 
implements  are  very  numerous,  and  include  hammer-stones,  pestles, 
ribbed  fiber  beaters,  obsidian  knives,  etc. 

POTTERY.  The  potter's  art  was  extensively  practiced,  and  the 
site  furnishes  a  greater  variety  of  wares  than  an)''  other  in  America. 
It  is  evident  that  a  long  period  of  occupation  is  represented.  Vessels 
were  of  varied  form,  and  range  in  treatment  from  the  lowest  limits  of 
simplicity  to  the  most  elaborate  phases  of  the  native  art.  In  the 
banks  of  the  great  Arroyo  of  the  Rio  San  Juan  I  found  fragments  of 
vases  corresponding  in  color  and  design  with  the  remarkable  butterfly- 
vase  preserved  in  the  Museo  Nacional — a  piece  of  work  rarely 
surpassed  in  America.  The  decoration  of  this  vase  is  identical  in 
general  style  with  that  of  the  owl  fresco  discovered  and  illustrated 
by  Batres.*  Dark,  plain  wares  are  plentiful,  and  resemble  those  of 
Texcoco,  and  the  simple  red  wares  of  the  Aztecs  are  found  scattered 
about  over  the  surface  in  many  places.  As  a  whole  the  San  Juan 
wares  are  easily  distinguished  from  those  of  Tenochtitlan.  Two 
classes  of  objects  are  peculiar  to  this  site — the  little  clay  heads  found 
in  astounding  numbers  and  variety,  and  the  small  cup-like  objects 
suggesting  candlesticks,  the  use  of  which  is  not  finally  settled. 

The  old  Indian  potter,  who  has  supplied  the  museums  of  the 
world  with  imitation  antiquities,  is  still  at  work  in  his  little  shop  near 
the  railway  station  in  San  Juan. 

PAINTING.  The  paintings  observed  in  the  pottery  and  on  the 
walls  of  houses  recently  uncovered  are  similar  in  style  to  examples 
observed  elsewhere  in  Mexico,  and  are  of  the  same  general  character 
and  grade  as  those  found  in  the  various  manuscripts  preserved  in  the 
museums  of  Europe. 

LITERATURE  AND  EXPLORATION.  I  will  not  attempt  to  review 
the  literature  of  San  Juan  Teotihuacan  or  even  to  cull  from  it,  for  it 
is  very  voluminous  and  at  the  same  time  largely  superficial  and  specu- 
lative. The  Maximillian  Commission,  Charnay  and  Batres,  have  made 
beginnings  in  the  grand  work  of  systematic  excavation — which  alone 

*  Batres.  Leopoldo:     Teotihuacan.    Mexico,  i88g. 


294         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i, 

will  disclose  the  limited  range  of  facts  still  available  to  the  his- 
torian. My  remaining  notes  shall  be  devoted  exclusively  to  giving  an 
idea  of  the  appearance  of  the  ruins  as  a  whole.  The  relations  of  the 
greater  features  to  each  other  and  to  the  natural  features  of  the  local- 
ity are  seen  to  good  advantage  in  the  panorama. 

PANORAMIC  VIEW.  The  sketch  for  the  view  presented  in  PI. 
XLIX  was  maeie  from  the  summit  of  the  Pyramid  of  the  Moon  and 
for  the  most  part  during  the  progress  of  a  wind  and  rain  storm,  and 
is  not  accurate  in  all  details.  In  making  final  drawing  a  point  of  view 
a  little  to  the  west  of  the  summit  of  the  Pyramid  of  the  Moon  was 
assumed.  The  latter  monument  is  thus  made  to  appear  in  its  proper 
relation  to  its  associates.  It  is  unfortunate  that  the  summit  of  the 
structure  obscures  to  some  extent  its  terraced  south  face  and  the 
mound  Ij'ing  near  its  southeastern  corner;  but  all  the  great  features 
of  the  site,  five  in  number,  are  clearly  brought  out  in  the  view.  The 
Pyramid,  of  the  i\Ioon  occupies  the  immediate  foreground,  A.  At 
the  left,  rising  grandl}-  above  its  cluster  of  terraces  and  attendant 
pyramids,  is  the  Pyramid  of  the  Sun,  B.  The  pyramid-bordered 
Court  of  the  Battered  Goddess,  C,  appears  behind  the  Pyramid  of  the 
Moon;  and  leading  out  of  this  and  extending  far  away  toward  the 
south  is  the  Pathway  of  the  Dead,  D  ;  and  beyond  the  P3'ramid  of 
the  Sun,  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  Arroyo  of  the  Rio  San  Juan,  is 
the  noble  group  called  the  Citadel,  E.  The  course  of  the  Rio  San 
Juan,  which  runs  to  the  west — that  is,  to  the  right  in  the  picture — is 
indicated  b}-  the  letters  F,  F,  and  the  Cathedral  of  the  \'illage  of  San 
Juan  appears  at  G. 

Desiring  that  no  wrong  impression  shall  be  conveyed  b)'  the 
panorama,  which  was  hastily  made,  I  reproduce  in  PL  XLVII  a 
photographic  view  from  the  summit  of  the  Pyramid  of  the  ]^Ioon. 
The  object  of  the  panoramic  sketch  is  to  give  a  map-like  clearness  and 
completeness  to  the  view,  while  the  photograph  serves  to  record 
details  of  actual  appearance.  It  should  be  observed,  however,  that 
the  photographic  view  does  not  bring  out  the  minor  works  to  advan- 
tage, as  they  are  obscured  by  culture  features  and  rendered  indistinct 
b}'  defective  light  and  shade,  whereas  the  drawing  slightly  emphasizes 
or  exaggerates  the  forms. 

PYRAMID  OF  THE  MOON.  This  imposing  pile  (A)  is  seen  in  the 
foreground  of  the  panorama,  and  though  now  somewhat  rounded  in 
contour  from  crumbling  above  and  accumulation  of  debris  below,  the 
original  form  was  evidently  that  of  a  rectangular,  truncated  pyramid. 
The  base  of  the  mound  measures  about  450  feet  from  north  to  south 
and  500    feet  from   east    to   west;   the   truncated   summit  is    not  far 


Pl.  XLVII.     San  Juan  Teotihuacan  from  the  Pyramid  of  the  Moon. 


In  the  foreground  of  this  view  we  look  down  from  the  Pyramid  of  the  Moon 
into  the  Court  of  the  Battered  Goddess,  and  beyond  follow  the  Pathway  of  the 
Dead  toward  the  south  across  the  Rio  San  Juan.  The  great  Pyramid  of  the  Sun 
is  at  the  left,  and  behind  it  in  the  midst  of  the  plain  the  village  of  San  Juan 
is  indistinctly  seen.  Roadways  and  modern  stone  fences,  separating  land  holdings, 
are  a  prominent  feature  of  the  view,  while  the  numerous  pyramidal  piles  bordering 
the  Court  and  Pathway  are  unfortunately  obscure. 


^AT 


Feb.  1897.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  295 

from  50  by  60  feet.  The  sides  sloped  originally  at  an  angle  of 
about  45  degrees,  and  were  interrupted  by  narrow  terraces  now  barely 
traceable.  Early  visitors  mention  the  occurrence  of  remnants  of 
a  stairway  on  the  east  side,  and  indefinite  references  are  made  to  a 
building  on  the  summit.  Against  the  base,  on  the  south  side,  a  plat- 
form-like projection  is  seen,  now  much  modified  in  appearance  by 
recent  excavations  and  by  the  accumulation  of  debris  from  a  tunnel 
carried  into  the  middle  of  the  face  of  the  pyramid.  Reports  regard- 
ing the  composition  of  the  mass, derived  from  these  excavations,  indi- 
cate that  the  materials  were  probably  obtained  from  the  surrounding 
plain,  mixed  as  adobe  and  added  in  more  or  less  regular  layers.  ""The 
surface  was  faced  in  part  if  not  wholly  with  unhewn  or  slightly  dressed 
stone  and  finished  presumabl}'  in  plaster.  The  summit  commands  a 
splendid  view  of  the  ruin  group,  and  in  the  palmy  days  of  the  great 
city  the  spectacle  from  this  point  must  have  been  imposing  indeed. 

It  would  seem  but  natural,  reasoning  from  analogy,  that  the 
summit  temple  faced  the  south,  and  that  a  wide  stairway  descended 
from  the  main  portal  to  the  court  below. 

PYRAMID  OF  THE  SUN.  This  vast  mound,  Bin  the  panorama, 
surrounded  by  its  associated  remains,  is  the  most  imposing  structure  in 
America.  With  its  rounded  outlines  and  the  massiveness  of  a  natural 
hill,  it  yet  presents  on  close  inspection  clear  indications  of  its  former 
wholly  artificial  and  symmetric  character.  It  is  a  truncated  pyramid, 
nearly  180  feet  high  above  its  immediate  base,  and  perhaps  a  little 
more  than  that  above  the  floor  of  the  Pathway  of  the  Dead,  or  the 
general  level  of  the  plain.  It  is  about  700  feet  square  at  the  base, 
though  the  measurements  given  are  hardly  more  than  estimates,  as 
the  lower  parts  are  covered  with  vast  accumulations  of  debris.  The 
slopes  did  not  vary  greatly  from  45  degrees,  though  now  appearing 
much  less  than  that.  Terraces  are  still  seen  at  three  levels;  that  on 
the  west  side,  facing  the  Pathway  of  the  Dead,  occurs  nearly  midway 
in  the  slope  and  is  between  20  and  30  feet  wide  ;  the  others  are  quite 
narrow.  The  summit  is  not  far  from  100  feet  square,  but  is  now  too 
much  broken  down  to  be  accurately  measured.  Remains  of  a  zigzag 
stairway  are  said  to  have  been  observed  on  the  east  face,  but  as  with 
the  other  pj'ramid,  analogy  would  lead  to  the  surmise  that  the  real 
stairway  was  on  the  west  side,  thus  giving  a  more  direct  descent  from 
the  summit  temple,  which  we  assume  must  have  existed,  to  the  great 
central  artery  of  the  city. 

1  facing  of  selected  and  in  cases  roughly  dressed  stones  is 
seen  in  place  at  several  points,  and  the  interior  of  the  mass  is  of 
irregular  deposits  of  earth  and  stones,  much  as  in  the  other  mounds. 


2g6         Field  Columbian   Mi'seim — An  ihropolocv,  Vol     i. 

The  much  broken  terrace  or  embankment  surrounding  the  base  of 
this  pyramid  is  something  like  200  feet  wide  on  the  north,  south  and 
east,  and  somewhat  less  than  this  on  the  west  facing  the  roadway  where 
it  connects  with  the  terraces  and  pyramid  masses  extending  to  the 
north  and  south.  The  outer  margin  is  a  little  higher  than  the  inner 
space  next  the  pyramid,  and  was  occupied,  as  in  the  Citadel  group  to 
the  south,  by  lines  of  small  pyramids  now  nearly  obliterated  b}'  the 
plow.  The  suggestion  afforded  by  the  group  as  a  whole  is  that  of  an 
inclosed  court,  the  central  structure  in  which  has  developed  by 
degrees  to  occupy  nearly  the  entire  space. 

COURT  OF  THE  BATTERED  GODDESS.  An  important  feature 
of  the  ancient  city  was  the  great  court  (C)  lying  at  the  south  base  of 
the  Pyramid  of  the  Moon  and  opening  into  the  Pathway  of  the 
Dead.  It  is  600  or  700  feet  square  and  is  surrounded  by  a  line 
of  imposing  mounds,  above  which  on  the  north  towers  the  Pyramid 
of  the  Moon.      Near  the   center   is   a  low   mound,   the   wreck   of    an 


Fig.  105.     Mutilated  Figure  of  a  Deity.     Height,  6  Feet. 

inferior  pyramid,  whose  position  would  indicate  that  in  former  days 
it  probably  had  an  important  part  to  play  in  the  affairs  of  the  city. 
Not  far  from  its  south  base  is  the  overthrown  and  much  mutilated 
figure  of  a  goddess,  described  in  a  former  paper*  and  illustrated  in 
Fig.  105.  On  the  west  side  of  the  court,  behind  the  first  line  of 
mounds,  was  found  the  large  idol  recently  removed  to  the  Museo 
Nacional  ;  it  also  is  described  in  the  above  mentioned  paper,  and  is 
here  shown  in  Fig.  106.* 

CAMINO  DE  LOS  MUERTOS.  Opening  out  of  the  great  court  to 
the  south  is  the  so-called"  Pathway  of  the  Dead"  (D),  a  depressed  way 
varying  from  200  to  300  feet  in  width  and  extending  a  little  west  of 
south  (15  degrees)  to  the  Arroyo  of  the  Rio  San  Juan  and  continuing 
beyond  into  the  fields  surrounding  the  modern   village,  a  distance  of 

♦Monoliths  of  the  San  Juan  Teotihuacan.    American  Journal  of  Archseology,  Vol.  I,  No.  4. 


Pl.  XLVill.    View  Looking  East  Along  the  Pathway  of  the  Dead. 


The  point  of  view  is  in  the  middle  of  the  Pathway  opposite  the  Pyramid 
of  the  Sun,  which  structure  is  beyond  the  limits  of  the  picture  at  the  right.  The 
modern  stone  fence  running  along  the  middle  of  the  Pathway  is  also  seen  in  the 
view  looking  in  the  opposite  direction  from  the  Pyramid  of  the  Moon,  PI.  XLVII. 
This  pyramid  is  seen  in  the  distance.  At  the  sides  of  the  Pathway  are  lines  of 
rounded  mounds  representing  the  ancient  structures.  Photograph  by  W.  H. 
Jackson. 


Feb.  li 


Ancient  Cities   of  Mexico — Holmes. 


297 


nearly  two  miles.  Though  this  pyramid-bordered  way  presents  the 
appearance  of  a  roadway,  it  is  not  truly  a  thoroughfare,  being  crossed 
by  low  embankments  and  interrupted  by  pyramids  at  several  points. 
The  name   given    appears   to    have   no   particular   significance,  yet  it 


Fig.  106.     Figure  of  a  Deity.     Height,   11   Feet. 

serves  in  a  way  to  express  the  idea,  suggested  to  all  minds,  that  this 
Pathway,  in  connection  with  the  court,  must  have  been  the  scene  of 
no  end  of  rites  and  pageants  in  which  human  sacrifice  was  possibly 
a  central  feature. 

The  pyramids,  mounds  and  terraces,  ranged  in  almost  unbroken 
lines  along  the  Camino,  rise  to  a  height  of  from  10  to  30  feet  (PI. 
XLVIII),  and  behind  these  front  tiers,  on  the  east  and  west, 
are  innumerable  piles,  quadrangular  or  irregular  in  arrangement;  and 
isolated  remains  extend  far  out  over  the  plain,  reaching  San  Martin 
on  the  northeast  and  San  Juan  on  the  south.  The  panorama  can  only 
suggest  the  multitude  of  remains,  as  the  eye  fails  to  clearly  perceive, 
even  with  the  aid  of  the  field  glass,  forms  so  reduced  by  the  plow  and 
so  obscured  by  crops  and  foliage. 

THE  SOUTH  SIDE  GROUP  OR  CITADEL.  The  Arroyo  of  the 
San  Juan  was  undoubtedly  bridged  at  the  crossing  of  the  Pathwa)^  of 
the  Dead,  thus  connecting  the  north  with  the  south  side.  The  great 
quadrangular  group  named  the  Citadel  (E)  lies  on  the  east  side  of  the 


298         Field  Columbian  Musel.m— Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

Pathway,  500  or  600  feet  south  of  the  banks  of  the  Arroyo.  It  con- 
sists of  a  rectangular  inclosure  about  1,350  by  1,400  feet  in  extent, 
measured  around  the  exterior  base.  The  embankment  is  from  100 
to  180  feet  wide  and  from  10  to  20  feet  in  height.  The  four  sides  are 
surmounted  by  lines  of  mounds,  four  on  a  side,  placed  somewhat 
unsymmetrically  near  the  outer  margin.  Within  the  court  near  the 
east  side  stands  a  pyramid,  perhaps  200  feet  square  at  the  base  and 
60  feet  high,  having  a  projection  or  terrace  built  against  the  west 
base,  while  low  embankments  extend  north  and  south  from  the  pyra- 
mid connecting  it  with  the  inclosing  ridge.  A  small  pyramid  stands 
quite  alone  a  little  to  the  north  of  the  center  of  the  inclosure.  This 
grand  group  of  structures  is  in  an  advanced  state  of  ruin,  the  crum- 
bling piles  having  been  reduced  to  natural  profiles  by  centuries  of 
cultivation  and  herding,  and  no  traces  of  the  superstructures  which 
must  once  have  crowned  the  pyramids  are  now  to  be  seen.  Every- 
where there  are  signs  of  ancient  occupation  ;  and  systematic  excava- 
tion on  the  site  will  certainly  repay  the  explorer  who  may  be  so  for- 
tunate as  to  undertake  the  work. 

TENOCHTITLAN-CITY  OF  MEXICO. 

The  Aztec  capital.  Tenochtitlan  or  INIexatl,  was  situated  on  the 
southwest  shore  of  Lake  Texcoco,  in  the  Valley  of  Mexico,  and  was 
overthrown  and  practically  destroyed  by  Cortez  in  1521.  This  latter 
event  may  well  be  deplored  by  archeologists,  for  they  have  thus  one 
less  ruined  city  to  explore,  yet  there  is  compensation  in  the  fact  that 
history  has  been  enriched  by  the  chronicles  of  the  destroyers  who 
built  their  capital  on  the  site.  Although  all  structures  of  importance 
were  leveled  with  the  ground,  modern  excavation  brings  to  light 
many  traces  of  the  ancient  time — foundations,  sculptures,  pottery, 
and  deposits  of  refuse  accumulated  during  the  long  period  of  Aztec 
and  possibly  pre-Aztec  occupation. 

I  desire  to  do  nothing  more  here  than  call  attention  to  what  is  to 
me  one  of  the  most  striking  and  wonderful  features  of  the  ancient 
remains  of  the  Valley — the  accumulation  of  refuse  in  several  sections 
of  the  city,  and  especially  in  those  parts  now  known  as  Nonoalco, 
San  Simon  and  Santiago  Tlalteluco,  and  which  comprise  a  district 
extending  from  the  Mexican  Central  Railway  station  two  or  three 
miles  toward  the  northeast. 

On  a  former  occasion  I  made  limited  studies  of  these  deposits, 
and  some  of  the  results  are  recorded  in  a  paper  published  in  the  Trans- 


PL.  XLIX.     Panoramic  View  of  San  Juan  Teotihuacan. 


^^^^i:^ 


6 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  299 

actions  of  the  Anthropological  Society  of  Washington*  for  1885. 
My  recent  visit,  made  under  the  guidance  of  Mr.  E.  O.  Matthews, 
extended  over  a  wider  area  and  brought  to  light  far  more  extensive 
remains.  In  some  of  the  fields  where  excavations  of  the  soil  for 
brick-making  are  going  on,  sections  are  exposed  to  the  depth  of  18  or 
20  feet,  and  the  entire  body  of  deposits  seems  filled  with  the  refuse 
of  dwelling.  In  places  the  broken  pottery  is  so  abundant  as  to  make 
up  at  least  one-fourth  of  the  mass.  The  prevailing  variety  of  ware 
is  extremely  rude,  and  consists  of  simple  cups  and  bowls  with  textile 
marked  surfaces,  with  roughly  shaped,  slightly  thickened  rims  and 
narrow,  flatfish  bottoms.  Mingled  with  these  deposits  are  fragments 
of  better  made  wares,  with  polished  and  painted  surfaces,  and  near 
the  top  are  countless  numbers  of  broken  and  occasionally  unbroken 
vases  of  the  well  identified  Aztec  types.  Objects  of  various  other 
classes  are  included,  but  pottery  prevails  to  such  an  extent  that  it 
seems  reasonable  to  suppose  that  here  the  ancient  potters  carried  on 
their  art,  or  that  here  were  located  the  markets  where  from  genera- 
tion to  generation  the  various  food  products  of  the  valley  were 
brought  to  be  sold  or  prepared  for  consumption.  Possibly  this  was 
the  flower  market  where  the  gardeners  of  the  "floating  islands"  and 
the  extensive  lake  shores  landed  with  their  boats,  using  these  rude, 
fragile  vessels  to  transport  and  keep  fresh  the  flowers  of  which  the 
ancient  natives  are  said  to  have  been  fond.  It  seems  probable  that  a 
systematic  study  of  these  deposits  would  yield  much  valuable  informa- 
tion respecting  the  culture  status  of  the  successive  occupants  of  the 
valley,  and  it  is  much  to  be  regretted  that  the  work  cannot  be  taken 
up  by  competent  observers. 


*Vol.  III.,  pp.  68-81. 


STUDIES  OF  ANCIENT  MEXICAN  SCULPTURE. 


Yucatan  and  the  southern  states  of  Mexico  are  not  rich  in  impor- 
tant sculptures  aside  from  those  embodied  in  architectural  embellish- 
ment. It  is  quite  different  with  the  Valley  of  Mexico  and  adjacent 
sections  of  the  great  plateau,  where  large  numbers  of  interesting  and 
often  elaborate  and  highly  finished  objects  are  brought  to  light  from 
year  to  year.  A  survey  of  these  sculptures  shows  that  they  served  a 
multitude  of  purposes,  that  they  cover  a  wide  range  of  subject 
matter,  and  illustrate  various  styles  of  treatment  and  methods  of  exe- 
cution. i\ll,  however,  come  well  within  the  culture  limitations  of  the 
historic  nations  of  the  province. 

Among  the  more  important  classes  of  subjects  independently 
sculptured  are  the  human  figure — entire  or  in  part;  animal  forms — 
entire  or  in  part;  and  compound  and  fanciful  life-form  conceptions  of 
endless  variety;  these  subjects  are  embodied  also  in  masks,  collars, 
tablets,  calendars,  cylinders,  disks,  boxes,  vases  and  ornaments. 
The  animal  kingdom  furnishes  a  vast  majority  of  the  motives,  and 
every  department  is  represented,  mammals,  birds,  fishes,  reptiles,, 
insects  and  mollusks.  Vegetal  forms,  though  much  employed  by  the 
Nahuatl  painter,  had  little  place  in  sculpture. 

The  Nahuatl  lapidary  was  favored  b}-  nature  in  having  at  hand 
many  varieties  of  workable  and  beautiful  stone,  and  was  thus  encour- 
aged to  elaborate  form  and  refine  finish;  whereas  the  Mayas  had,  in 
the  main,  only  limestone,  and  this  of  a  variety  not  well  adapted  tO' 
refined,  aesthetic  treatment.  These  conditions  account,  at  least  in 
part,  for  the  greater  diversity  and  beauty  of  non-architectural  Nahuatl 
sculpture.  A  partial  list  of  the  stones  used  in  the  Valley  of  Mexico- 
and  the  neighboring  areas  is  as  follows:  onyx,  marble,  limestone, 
quartz  and  quartz  crystal,  granite,  syenite,  basalt,  trachyte,  rhyolite, 
diorite  and  obsidian.  It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  the  shaping  of 
these  varied  materials  required  a  wide  range  of  technical  resources, 
one  nearly  or  quite  equaling  that  employed  by  civilized  nations^ 
although  devices  were  elementary  and  the  peoples  concerned  were 
yet  within  the  narrow  confines  of  the  stone  age;  stone  was  used  to 
shape  stone, save  of  course  in  cases  where  appliances  for  drilling,  saw- 
ing and  grinding  involved  the  use  of  materials  softer  than  those 
worked — such  as  wood,  bone  or  native  metal. 

301 


302      .    Field  Columhiax   Muskum — Axthropologv,  Vol.    i. 

With  the  ancient  Mexicans,  as  with  all  stone  working  nations, 
the  shaping  of  brittle  materials  was  accomplished  by  fracture  proc- 
esses— breaking,  flaking  and  chipping;  the  tough,  hard  materials 
were  reduced  by  battering  processes — picking,  pecking,  percussion 
drilling,  etc. ;  while  the  abrading  processes — sawing,  rotary  drilling, 
grinding  and  polishing  were  employed  according  to  the  requirements 
of  the  shaping  work;  and  incising  methods  served  where  the  stone 
shaped  was  sufficiently  soft  to  permit  of  their  use. 

The  form  of  sculpture  varies  from  the  merest  line  engraving 
through  all  grades  of  low  and  high  relief  to  the  full  round.  The 
treatment  has  to  do  largely  with  surfaces  rather  than  with  absolute 
realistic  forms,  and  the  figure  of  the  man  is  often  a  mere  block  with 
sculptured  surface  features,  and  the  animal  is  worked  out  upon  the 
surface  of  some  bowlder  or  slightly  modified  natural  mass.  Sculp- 
tures embellishing  objects  of  use  are  necessarily  largely  in  low  relief. 

So  far  as  the  art  displayed  in  these  sculptures,  aside  from  that  of 
the  mere  stone  cutter  and  lapidary,  is  concerned,  there  is  nothing  very 
remarkable,  especially  when  we  come  to  consider  the  commanding 
position  of  the  Nahuatl  peoples  among  the  American  nations.  Pro- 
portion is  not  more  correct,  and  expression  is  not  more  life-like  than 
among  numerous  nations  scattered  along  from  Alaska  to  Argentine. 
In  fact  there  is  little  in  Mexico  that  can  boast  of  a  higher  place  in 
art — that  exhibits  more  boldness  and  freedom  of  handling — than 
the  strange  carvings  in  both  stone  and  wood  of  the  primitive  tribes 
of  the  Northwest  Coast.  It  may  not  be  quite  fair,  however,  to  com- 
pare carvings  made  by  a  modern  people  possessed  of  metal  imple- 
ments with  works  in  stone  of  a  stone-age  people.  The  writings  of 
the  conquerors  of  Mexico  make  frequent  mention  of  elaborately  carved 
idols  in  wood,  and  such  examples  of  ancient  Mexican  wood  carving 
as  have  been  preserved,  display  very  decided  skill.  The  latter  are  in  the 
main  reliefs,  and  the  zapote-wood  altar  panel  in  the  Temple  of  the 
Sun  at  Tikal,  Gautemala,*  is  perhaps  the  finest  specimen  of  sculp- 
tured relief  yet  brought  to  light  in  America. 

In  sculpture  in  the  round,  these  plateau  peoples  seldom  rose 
above  the  making  of  single  figures,  and  these  rarely  reach  any  con- 
siderable degree  of  realism.  True  proportion  was  not  appreciated, 
or  was  very  generally  disregarded,  and  this  is  true  also  of  most 
of  their  relief  and  graphic  work,  as  illustrated  in  the  "  Tizoc " 
stone  and  in  the  remarkable  depictions  of  the  codices  ;  but  in  the 
Usumacinta  province  figures  in  stucco  and  stone  are  often  in  excel- 
lent proportion,  as,  for  example,  at  Palenque  on  the  pier  fronts  of  the 

*  Charnay,  .\ncient  Cities,  p.  467. 


Feb.   1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  303 

Palace^  in  the  stucco  altar  piece  of  the  Temple  of  the  Beau  Relief 
and  in  the  limestone  tablets  of  the  Temples  of  the  Cross  and  Sun. 
In  Palenque  a  good  deal  of  skill  and  taste  are  shown  in  the  grouping 
of  two  or  more  figures  within  a  panel,  these  efforts  at  composition 
giving  decided  indications  of  advance  toward  higher  planes  of  artistic 
development. 

It  is  safe  to  say  of  Nahuatl  sculpture,  and  of  all  other  native 
sculpture  for  that  matter,  that  it  is  largely  of  religious  inspiration. 
Portraiture  had  not  risen  to  a  place  of  importance,  and  the  aesthetic, 
though  pervading  everything,  was  not  divorced  from  the  symbolic. 
Whatever  there  is  of  grace  and  symmetry  of  form,  whatever  of  elabora- 
tion and  refinement  of  finish  was,  first  of  all,  a  tribute  to  the  mys- 
terious forces  of  nature  personified  in  the  various  forms  sculptured. 
Yet  the  influence  of  aesthetic  notions  was  all-pervading  ;  plain  blunt 
statement  was  not  enough  ;  there  was  keen  appreciation  of  the  quali- 
ties of  form  regarded  with  favor  b)'  the  highly  cultured  eye  of  the 
civilized  world.  In  no  group  of  works  is  this  more  apparent  than  in 
the  realizations  of  the  feathered  serpent  concept,  where  every  line  of 
head,  body  and  feather  embellishment  is  bold,  graceful  and  tell- 
ing. The  exercise  of  taste  is  equally  apparent  in  subjects  where  con- 
ventional decorative  effects  are  secured  by  modifications  and  rhythmic 
repetitions  of  the  parts  of  creatures  embodied,  as  in  the  animal  ele- 
ments embellishing  the  curious  stone  yokes  shown  in  illustrations 
accompanying  this  section. 

Surface  finish  is  no  less  a  test  of  the  aesthetic  appreciations  of  the 
ancient  sculptor.  The  harder  stones  were  polished  to  the  highest 
degree  possible,  while  those  not  susceptible  of  such  polish  were  finished 
in  surface  applications  of  fine  clay  or  cement,  which  were  colored  and 
polished  ;  and  so  thoroughly  was  the  latter  work  done  that  many 
pieces  still  retain  the  enamel-like  coatings.  This  application  of  color 
extended  also  to  architectural  sculptures  and  surfaces. 

Among  the  monolithic  sculptures  of  the  Nahuatl  province  there 
are  no  works  so  colossal,  so  noble,  so  imbued  with  aesthetic  feeling  as 
are  the  great  monoliths  of  Guatemala  and  Honduras  :  but  considering 
all  points  I  am  inclined  to  place  the  compound  deity  "Huitzilopoctli- 
Teoyaomiqui"  of  the  Museo  Nacional,  brutal  and  terrible  as  it  is,  very 
close  to  the  head  of  the  American  list.  Certainly,  in  their  respective 
classes,  the  so-called  calendar-stone  and  the  great  "Tizoc"disk  outrank 
all  others  ;  and  some  minor  sculptures,  such  as  the  polished  diorite 
head  of  "Centeotl"  or  "Totec"  in  the  INIuseo  Nacional,  are  without 
rivals.  However,  when  we  come  to  look  over  the  whole  field  of 
American  sculptural  achievement,  architectural  as  well  as  non-archi- 


304 


Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,    Vol.    i. 


tectural,  composite  and  monolithic,  we  are  forced  to  concede  the 
palm  for  boldness  of  conception,  for  magnitude  of  proportions  and 
infinity  of  labor  involved,  to  the  sculpture  mosaics  of  Yucatan. 

The  minor  works  of  sculpture,  to  which  class  the  objects  to  be 
described  in  the  following  pages  belong,  are  largely  without  pedigree; 
they  are  not  definitely  associated  with  an}'  particular  people  or  culture 
group,  save  in  a  most  general  way;  many  are  absolute  strays,  picked 
up  here  and  there  without  record  of  circumstance  of  discovery,  and 
acquired  by  travelers  and  collectors  and  distributed  to  all  parts  of 
the  civilized  world.  There  is  no  possibility  of  future  assemblage  of 
these  objects  in  any  one  place,  and  it  must  be  regarded  as  in  a  sense 
the  duty  of  all  owners  and  custodians  of  such  treasures  to  give  them 
publicity — to  publish  descriptions  and  illustrations  so  that  they  may 
as  soon  as  possible  be  the  common  property  of  those  who  are  to  write 
the  history  of  the  race  and  its  art  ;  and,  what  is  also  of  much  impor- 
tance, that  they  may  have  the  chance  to  gather  about  themselves  such 
items  of  information  as  to  origin  as  may  accrue  through  publicity.  In 
issuing  the  following  brief  descriptions  of  the  sculptures  that  have 
come  within  my  reach  I  aim  at  little  more  than  to  place  the  pieces 
illustrated  within  the  reach  of  students.  Critical  and  comparative 
studies  of  form,  decoration  and  symbolism  cannot  be  successfully 
conducted  without  full  access  to  the  literature  of  the  subject,  and 
without  more  complete  and  comprehensive  collections  than  have  yet 
been  brought  together.  Publication  of  adequate  descriptions  of  the 
specimens,  along  with  proper  illustrations,  practically  places  them  in 
all  the  museums,  as  well  as  in  all  the  libraries,  of  the  world. 

ONYX  TABLET  WITH  ENGRAVED  FIGURE  OF  A  DEITY.  About 
the  year  1895  there  was  brought  to  light  by  workmen  digging  an  irri- 
gating canal  at  Ixtapaluco,  near  Chalco,  in  the  Valley  of  Mexico,  an 


Fig.  107.     Perforations  in  Upper  End  or  Onyx  Tablet. 


engraved  tablet  of  remarkable  character  and,  as  it  happens,  of  unique 
interest.      It  is  a  keystone  shaped  slab  of  onyx,  1 1  ^-^  inches  long,  6^4 


Feb.  1897.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


305 


inches  wide  at  the  wider  end,  and  i^^  inches  thick;  it  is  drilled  longi- 
tudinally and  has  four  pairs  of  biconical  perforations  along  the 
upper  margin.  Although  it  seems  that  its  size  would  have  precluded 
its  use  as  a  pendant,  the  marginal  perforations  are  just  such  as  are 
found  in  pendant  ornaments,  and  it  may  be  that  this  specimen  was 
actually  used  on  ceremonial  occasions  of  exceptional  importance;  or 
it  may  have  been  intended  for  suspension  on  the  breast  of  some  idol. 
The  position  of  the  several  perforations  is  indicated  in  Fig.  107. 


Fig.  108.     Engraved  Figure  of  Deity  from  Onyx  Tablet,    one-half  actual   size. 

The  engraved  design  is  highly  interesting  and  imparts  much  value 

to  the  stone,  but  the  most  important  feature  of  the  specimen  was  not 

discovered  until  after  its  arrival  in  Chicago.     When  taken  from  the 

box  in  which  it  had  been  carefully  packed,  it  was  found  to  be  broken 


3o6  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,   Vol.  i. 

directly  across  the  face.  The  owner  was  naturally  very  much  dis- 
tressed by  this  occurrence,  as  the  value  of  the  specimen  was  appar- 
ently much  impaired.  Picking  up  the  smaller  fragment  I  proceeded 
to  examine  the  longitudinal  perforation  exposed  in  section  by  the 
fracture,  and  to  my  surprise  found  the  end  of  a  tubular  bone  pro- 
jecting from  the  opening.  The  conclusion  was  at  once  reached  that 
this  was  the  drill  used  in  boring  the  perforation,  and  the  value  of  the 
specimen  was  at  once  more  than  doubled.  Fortunately,  through  the 
generosity  of  Mr.  Armour,  this  tablet  was  secured  for  the  Museum. 
It  is  made  of  pale-green,  translucent  onyx,  somewhat  laminated  at 
the  back  where  there  is  a  layer  of  opaque  whitish  stone.  The  sur- 
faces are  well  polished,  and  the  front  is  occupied  by  a  figure,  which  I 
take  to  represent  some  Nahuatl  deity,  engraved  in  sharp,  shallow 
lines  and  with  much  skill  and  precision.  The  figure  is  framed  in  with 
a  border  consisting  of  a  single  heavy  line  and,  at  the  sides  and 
bottom,  a  second  line  outside  of  the  first  to  which,  at  the  right  and 
left,  are  attached  what  appear  to  be  representations  of  pendant  tas- 
sels. The  tablet  is  shown  in  PI.  L,  and  the  engraved  figure,  traced 
from  a  rubbing,  appears  in  Fig.  io8. 

The  deity  stands  in  formal  fashion,  full  front  view,  with  hands 
uplifted  and  feet  turned  out.  The  head  is  large  and  the  body  short — 
as  is  usual  in  works  of  this  class — yet  the  whole  figure  is  clearly  and 
fully  expressed,  and  with  a  minimum  number  of  lines,  selected  and 
used  with  the  skill  of  a  master.  The  eyes  are  oval  and  the  pupils 
are  emphasized  by  means  of  scratched  lines.  The  brows,  nose  and 
nostrils  are  expressed  by  a  single  continuous  line;  the  mouth  is  cov- 
ered with  an  angular  device  apparently  suspended  from  the  nose 
ornament.  The  latter  is  a  bar  bent  up  at  the  end  connecting  with 
lines  which  cross  the  cheeks  horizontal!}-  and  descend  in  zigzag 
fashion  to  the  ears,  or  rather  to  the  large  discs  with  which  the  ears 
are  embellished. 

The  head-dress  is  at  once  striking  and  interesting.  It  is  strongly 
drawn,  and  consists  exclusively  of  two  highly  conventionalized,  but 
clearly  expressed  feathered  serpents,  whose  bodies  are  joined  above 
and  terminate  in  a  double  row  of  feathers  (representing  the  tails) 
against  the  upper  margin  of  the  tablet.  The  serpent  bodies  part  over 
the  forehead,  descend  at  the  sides  of  the  face,  and  curve  out  over  the 
ears  in  strong  coils  which  represent  the  under  jaws  of  the  reptiles.  The 
upper  jaw  is  represented  in  each  case  by  a  similar  strongly  curved 
band  which  extends  back  over  the  head  and  incloses  the  eye;  while 
above  rises  a  formal  feathered  crown,  and  back  of  this,  and  forming  a 
strong  feature  of  the  design,  is  a  wand-like  figure  representing  a  rigid 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,    PL.    L. 


Onyx  Tablet  with  Engraved  Figure  of  a  Deity,     one-half  actual 


Feb.  1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


307 


plume  or  horn.  The  chin  is  encircled  by  the  usual  formal  necklace  with 
pendants,  below  which  is  a  strongly  drawn  device  crossing  the  chest 
and  terminating  against  the  margins  of  the  tablet.  It  is  clear  that 
this  device  is  neither  more  nor  less  than  a  condensed  presentation  of 
the  twin  serpent  concept;  the  center  piece  consists  of  an  eye  and  a 
single  two-band  coil,  standing  for  the  head  or  heads,  while  the  bodies 
terminate  at  the  right  and  left  in  feather-tipped  coils.  In  this  device, 
as  well  as  in  the  head-dress,  the  designer  has  displayed  great  clever- 
ness in  simplifj'ing  the  serpent  forms  to  accommodate  them  to  the 
space  and  use,  but  the  convention  has  not  proceeded  so  far  as  to 
entirel}'  destroy  continuity  and  normal  relations  of  parts. 

The  belt,  which  is  tied  with  a  loop  at  the  sides,  and  the  short 
skirt  below,  are  formally  treated,  the  former  exhibiting  details — worked 
out  in  angular  lines — that  probably  had  some  particular  significance  to 
the  designer.  The  hands,  with  thumb  turned  back  and  index  finger 
pointed  upwards,  appear  at  the  sides.  The  ankles  display  conven- 
tionalized ties,  and  the  feet,  covered  behind  by  pendant  flaps,  termi- 
nate each  in  a  single  great  toe. 


Fig.  109.     Bone  Drill  as  It  Appeared  in  the  Broken  Tablet. 

Proceeding  to  an  examination  of  the  drilled  holes  and  the  sup- 
posed bone  drill,  I  first  examined  and  sketched  the  projecting  imple- 
ment, which  appeared  as  shown  in  Fig.  log. 

Pouring  water  into  the  perforation  to  dampen  the  dark  earth  that 
clung  to  the  sides  and  served  to  fix  the  bone  tube  in  its  place,  I  was 
at  once  able  to  press  the  implement  back  into  the  stone  and,  as  the 
other  end  of  the  opening  was  larger,  to  remove  it  with  ease.  The 
finely  comminuted  earth  was  carefully  saved  for  examination  under 
the  microscope.  The  hollow  bone.  Fig.  1 1  o-a,  probably  from  the  leg  of 
a  crane  or  other  large  bird,  is  23^  inches  long  and  Cyg  of  an  inch  in 
diameter.  It  is  shattered  and  worn  at  the  upper  end,  while  the  lower 
end  or  point  has  the  appearance  of  having  been  freshly  cut  off. 
This  latter  feature  was  a  matter  of  some  surprise,  as  a  drill  point 
might  be  expected  to  show  decided  evidence  of  abrasion  by  use.  I 
found,  however,  on  the  other  hand,  that  the  exterior  surface  of  the  tube 


3o8 


FlKLD    Coi.UMl!lAX     MUSEU.M A.N  I  H  K(  )l't)1.0ti V,    \  OL.     I. 


was  scratched  and  striated  as  if  by  attrition  with  fine  sand.  On  wash- 
ing out  the  bore  in  the  larger  piece  of  stone,  I  discovered  that  the 
bone  tube  had  not  extended  to  the  end  of  the  boring  from  below, 
that  in  fact  it  reached  only  half  way,  and  that  the  size  of  the  hole 
diminished  so  that  it  could  not  enter  farther,  On  cleaning  out  the 
earth  the  fact  was  developed  that  the  borings  from  opposite  ends  of 
the  tablet  had  not  met  accurately,  as  indicated  in  Fig.  no-/',  and  the 
conclusion  was  at  once  reached  that  the  drill  was  probably  being 
employed,  when  the  work  ceased,  to  enlarge  the  bore,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  making  more  complete  connection  from  end  to  end. 


Fig.  110.     Bone  Drill  Used  in  Perforating  Onyx  Tablet. 

a.    Bone  drill,  with  section;  actual  size. 

6.    Section  of  tablet  showing  position  of  drill.    Lower  end  of  tablet  at  the  left. 

The  use  of  the  tubular  drill  of  cane,  bone  or  native  metal  by 
primitive  peoples,  and  even  by  many  well  advanced  nations,  is  well 
known.  The  tube  was  twirled  by  rolling  between  the  hands,  or  by  a 
pump  or  bow  drill,  and  sand  of  suitable  fineness  and  hardness  was 
emploj^ed  as  the  cutting  agent.  That  a  tubular  drill  was  used  in  the 
present  case  is  proved  by  the  presence  of  a  well  developed  core  at 
the  base  of  the  boring  from  the  upper  end,  as  shown  in  the  drawing, 
Fig.  no-/';  and,  though  the  proof  may  not  be  absolute  that  this  piece 
of  bone  was  actually  in  use  as  a  drill,  the  probabilities  are  strongly 
in  favor  of  the  correctness  of  the  assumption  that  it  was  so  used,  and 
it  is  also  highly  probable  that  in  addition  we  have  here  a  correct  sug- 
gestion of  the  manner  in  which  the  tubular  drill  was  employed  in 
enlarging  and  straightening  defective  borings,  a  measure  often  neces- 
sary where  devices  were  of  such  imperfect  construction. 

The  sand  obtained  from  the  boring  in  and  about  the  bone  tube 
was  submitted  to  Prof.  O.  C.  Farrington,  curator  of  geology,  who 
kindly  furnished  the  following  report:  ^ 

"The  material  submitted  to  me  for  examination  was  about  J,j  of 


Feb.  1897.  AxciEXT  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  309 

a  gram  of  a  gray  powder,  mingled  with  a  number  of  splinters  of  bone 
2  or  3  mm.  long,  and  coarse,  rounded  grains,  i  mm.  in  diameter,  of  a 
gray  porous  rock.  Under  the  microscope  the  powder  was  seen  to  be 
made  up  of  grains  of  various  shapes  and  sizes  from  8  mm.  in  diam- 
eter down.  Most  of  these  grains  had  sharp,  angular  surfaces  and 
gave  little  evidence  of  wear.  There  were,  however,  a  number  of 
rounded  white  grains  about  i  mm.  in  diameter.  These  effervesced, 
and  were  decomposed  by  both  hydrochloric  and  sulphuric  acid,  giv- 
ing crystals  of  gypsum  with  the  latter.  Some  of  these  were  identified 
by  their  porous  structure  as  partly  decomposed  bone,  while  others 
seemed  to  be  travertine.  A  few  transparent  grains  were  positively 
identified  by  their  high  double  refraction  as  calcite.  Other  grains  of 
the  powder  were  black  and  opaque,  and  still  others  dark  and  trans- 
lucent. The  latter  were  isotropic,  indicating  that  they  were  probably 
a  volcanic  glass.  Some  of  the  grains  were  attracted  by  a  magnet,  but 
no  distinct  particles  of  magnetite  could  be  identified.  By  rubbing 
the  powder  with  a  pine  stick  on  a  surface  of  glass,  the  glass  was  per- 
ceptibly scratched,  some  grains  cutting  deeper  than  others.  Slight 
scratches  were  also  produced  on  a  quartz  crystal  by  the  same  treat- 
ment, indicating  that  some  particles  had  a  hardness  of  7.  The 
appearance  and  physical  properties  of  the  powder  lead  me  to  regard 
it  as  one  produced  by  the  disintegration  of  a  volcanic  rock,  such  as  an 
andesite. 

"The  hardness  of  the  grains  is  such  as  to  make  them  a  fairly 
good  abrasive  for  a  rock  as  soft  as  travertine,  but  there'^eems  to  have 
been  in  point  of  size  or  quality  of  the  grains  no  special  selection  for 
this  purpose." 

SCULPTURED  YOKES.  Two  examples  of  the  handsomely  sculp- 
tured objects,  commonly  classed  as  "sacrificial  yokes,"  have  recently 
come  into  possession  of  the  Museum.  One  of  these,  illustrated  in 
Fig.  Ill,  is  of  the  usual  type,  open  at  the  base  like  a  horseshoe,  and 
forming  an  arch  when  set  on  end.*  It  is  15^  inches  in  height 
(length), and  14^  inches  in  greatest  width.  In  section  the  inner  sur- 
face is  straight  and  the  outer  surface  rounded,  as  shown  in  a,  Fig.  116. 
The  thickness  from  inner  to  outer  surface  is  about  33^  inches,  and 
from  face  to  back,  4^  inches.  The  stone  is  a  dark,  greenish  gray, 
very  compact  chlorite,  and  the  surface  is  well  and  evenly  polished. 
The  carving  is  simple,  and  evidently  incomplete;  the  form  embodied, 
so  far  as  it  goes,  is  that  of  a  frog  or  toad.  The  hind  legs  appear  at  the 
base  of  the  arms  of  the  yoke;  the  rounded  body  occupies  the  middle 

*  It  may  be  well  to  state  in  this  place  that  the  normal  position  of  these  objects,  when  at  rest — 
probably  the  position  al^o  when  in  actual  use— is  prostrate,  and  not  erect  as  an  arch. 


310         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,  Vol.    i. 

of  the  sides,  and  the  fore  legs  are  partially  defined  at  the  spring  of  the 
arch;  while  the  curve  of  the  arch — usually,  in  similar  yokes,  carved  on 
the  upper  surfaces  to  represent  the  reptilian  head — is  quite  plain.  The 
reverse  or  under  face,  which  is  somewhat  narrower  than  the  obverse 


Fig.  111.     Yoke  of  Chlorite,  with  Partially  Developed  Figure  of  the  Frog. 
From  Motzorongo.  State  of  Vera  Cruz. 

or  upper  (front)  face,  is  also  without  carving.  A  more  fully  developed 
example  of  the  same  class  of  yoke  is  shown  in  PI.  LI.  In  this  specimen 
the  crown  of  the  arch  is  carved  to  represent  the  reptiles  f  ace — illustrated 
in  a.  A  face  view  of  the  yoke  is  given  in  b,  and  a  side  view,  with  the 
head  of  the  reptile  at  the  left,  appears  in  c.  In  other  3'okes  of  this 
particular  type  the  reptilian  features  are  still  more  full}'  elaborated  and 
realistic,  while  in  others  still  the  treatment  is  highly  conventional  and 
decorative.  The  reptilian  motive  is  also,  at  times,  combined  with  other 
concepts,  as  the  bird  and  the  man,  indicating  complexity  of  symbolism. 
The  second  specimen,  illustrated  in  PI.  LII,  is  a  unique  and  remark- 
able work,  and  certainly  one  of  the  most  elaborately  and  artisticalh' 
embellished  yokes  yet  brought  to  light.      The  material  is  a  hornblende 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN     MUSEUM. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,  PL,  LI. 


■0^ 


//*^ 


f^W^ 


Stone  Yoke  Carved  to  Represent  a  Frog,      about  one-fourth  actual  size. 


Fed.  1897. 


Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico— Holmes. 


311 


Fig.  112.     Complete  Design  from  the 

Sculptured  Yoke    Illustrated    in 

Pl.   LII. 

The  various  parts  of  the  desig^n  are 
readily  correlated  with  correspondino- 
features  in  the  four  figures  of  the 
])late.  The  four  units  of  the  design 
are  marked  I,  II,  III  and  IV.  The 
connecting  segment  (I\')  is  shown 
separately  and  in  perspective  to  mike 
clear  the  relation  of  parts. 

The  connecting  band  of  the  inner 
margin  of  the  yoke — filled  in  with 
S-shaped  lines  as  if  to  represent  a 
twisted  band  or  the  belly  of  a  ser- 
pent— appears  at  the  left  in  the  main 
figure,  rt'  joining  a"  as  indicated  at  a 
and  as  seen  also  in  the  front  view 
(upper  surface)  of  the  Yoke,  PI.  LII. 
The  opposite  margin  (under  surface) 
is  plain. 

The  middle  section  or  unit  (II) 
occupies  the  upper  curve  of  the  arch; 
its  devices  are  repeated  with  modifi- 
cations in  the  other  sections,  that  on 
the  lower  end  being  considerably 
abbreviated. 

A  system  of  alternation  of  parts  is 
carried  on  throughout  the  whole  de- 
sign, as  best  indicated  by  the  relative 
position  of  the  rows  of  teeth. 


312         FiKi.n  Columbian   ^I^;^F.r.\I — A^■THRO^rTLo^,^ .  \oi.  i. 

andesite,  showing  numerous  angular  fragments  included  in  the  light 
gravish-green  matrix.  It  is  unique  in  being  closed  at  the  base,  and 
in  its  striking  approximation  to  a  common  leathern  horse-collar  in 
appearance.  It  is  slightly  larger  than  the  average  yoke,  measuring 
21^2  inches  in  height  (or  length)  and  15^2  inches  in  greatest  width. 
The  thickness,  from  face  to  back,  on  the  inner  margin,  is  4.  inches, 
and  the  distance  through,  from  inner  to  outer  surface,  is  about  3^ 
inches,  save  at  the  base  or  narrow  end,  where  the  connecting  segment 
— flat  on  both  faces  and  slightly  incurved  on  the  end  surface- — is  but 
a^o  inches  in  thickness.  The  section  of  the  connecting  segment  is 
rectangular;  that  of  the  arch  is  straight  on  the  inside,  and  approxi- 
mates a  semi-circle  on  the  outer  surface  {b,  Fig.  116).  The  flat  inner 
surface  is  entirely  even  and  symmetric,  but  is  not  polished;  the 
exterior  surface,  save  a  narrow,  inner,  marginal  band  on  the  under 
side,  is  covered  with  relief  carvings,  and  with  the  exception  of  the 
deeper  depressions,  is  highly  polished. 

It  is  full3-  apparent  that  the  carvings  of  the  exterior  surface  of 
this  yoke  embody  animal  motives,  but  they  are  very  highly  conven- 
tionalized, and  I  mav  add,  are  of  an  order  of  elaboration  both  sur- 
prising and  admirable.  There  is  not  an  animal  feature  recognizable 
to  the  inexpert  eye,  yet  to  those  in  a  measure  initiated  into  the  mys- 
teries of  native  American  conventional  art,  there  is  no  part  that  is 
not  certainl)'  representative  and  significant.  All  the  features  are  well 
brouD^ht  out  in  the  four  views  assembled  in  Pi.  Lll,  and  in  the  pro- 
jected representation  of  the  sculptured  designs  given  in  Fig.  112. 
Taking  as  a  ke}'  the  line  of  dentate  figures  which  appears  to  represent 
the  teeth  of  the  creature  or  being  embodied,  we  find  that  four  indi- 
viduals (or  possibly  four  pairs  of  the  motive)  are  included.  One 
appears  at  the  crest  of  the  arch  (II,  Fig.  112),  one  at  the  middle  of 
each  side  (I  and  111),  and  one  on  the  concave  surface  of  the  base  or 
connecting  segment  (IV).  The  row  of  teeth  forms  the  central  feature 
of  each  of  these  units. 

I  do  not  expect  to  be  able  to  identify  fully  or  explain  the  numer- 
ous elements  of  this  design,  which  evidently  represent  the  various 
parts — head,  mouth,  eyes,  body,  appendages  and  markings — of  the 
life  form  embodied,  as  the  conventional  transformation  is  so  com- 
plete that  the  specimens  at  hand  do  not  furnish  a  satisfactor}'  key. 
It  is  highly  probable,  though,  that  if  all  known  examples  of  these 
yokes  were  brought  together,  the  designs  of  one  would  supplement 
and  explain  those  of  another  in  such  a  w^ay  that  the  main  devices 
could  be  interpreted  and  referred  to  their  original  life  motives,  and 
that  all  the  dropped  links  could  be  restored. 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


^       \ 


Four  Views  of  a  Sculptured  Yoke  from  Motzof 


ANTHROPOLOGY,    PL.   Lll 


,f  .^ 


TATE  OF  Vera  Cruz,     one-fourth  actual  size. 


Feb.  1897.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  313 

At  first  glance  I  was  impressed  with  the  idea  that  the  creature 
embodied  was  the  serpent.  It  appeared  that  the  inner  band  of  the 
face  (upper  surface)  of  the  yoke  inclosing  the  aperture,  with  its 
S-shaped  dividing  lines  (seen  to  best  advantage  in  a,  PI.  LII), 
might  represent  the  abdominal  surface  of  the  reptile,  serving  to  con- 
nect the  four  conventionalized  representations  of  the  creature,  occu- 
pying the  outer  or  convex  surface  of  the  object,  as  a  single  concept; 
and  possibly  that,  in  addition,  the  serpent  idea  might  be  combined 
with  that  of  a  plaited  or  twisted  band  or  tie,  serving  not  only  to  unite 
the  concepts  of  the  outer  surface,  but  to  tie  up  whatever  the  yoke,  in 
its  mysterious  use,  was  employed  to  hold  together  or  restrain.  On 
looking  farther,  I  found  the  devices  of  the  convex  surface  quite  varied 
and  complex,  and  concluded  that  it  might  be  unwise  to  try  to  identify 
them  all  with  any  single  creature  or  concept.  The  central  idea  in 
each  unit — represented  by  the  row  of  teeth — is  apparently  that  of 
death.  This  particular  treatment  of  the  teeth — the  fully  uncovered 
row  being  shown — characterizes  the  death's  head,  a  symbol  of  death 
among  the  ancient  Mexicans  generally.  The  associated  figures  evi- 
dently represent,  more  or  less  definitely,  various  animal  features. 
All  of  these  features  may  belong  to  the  supposed  figure  of  death,  but 
they  may  pertain  to  other  motives  associated  with  the  death  symbol. 
When  conventional  modification  has  gone  as  far  as  it  has  in  this 
case,  the  individuality  of  the  features  of  the  original  is  necessarily, 
in  a  great  measure,  lost;  an  eye,  for  example,  is  a  generalized  eye;  a 
mouth,  a  generalized  mouth.  The  normal  relations  of  the  parts  are 
also  modified  to  suit  the  spaces  occupied;  features  that  belong 
together  may  be  separated,  others  may  be  joined  that  belong  apart, 
while  others  still  may  be  omitted  and  lost  sight  of.  Notwithstanding 
these  various  modifications,  rearrangements  and  omissions,  we  may 
assume  that  the  people  interested  understood  the  meaning  and  asso- 
ciations of  the  symbols  as  well  as  when  pronounced  realism  served 
to  recall  the  original  idea  to  the  mind.  But  the  key  is  wholly  unknown 
to  us, and  we  cannot  expect  to  do  much  more  than  to  obtain  a  general 
idea  of  the  elements  employed,  and  the  methods  of  their  assemblage 
and  modification  in  art. 

Taking  the  simplest  possible  view  of  the  case  in  hand,  namely, 
that  the  central  idea  involved  is  the  death  symbol  or  concept, 
embodied  in  or  associated  with  a  reptilian  form,  a  somewhat  detailed 
study  of  this  remarkable  yoke  may  be  made.  Beginning  with  the  row 
of  teeth,  which  forms  the  central  feature  of  each  unit  of  the  design,  we 
find  its  associated  forms  are  much  alike  in  I,  II,  and  III  (Fig.  112) 
but  that  in   IV,  on  account  of  the  limited  space,  the  forms  are  much 


314         Field  Columhian   Museum — Anthropology,   Vol.  i. 

curtailed.  Taking  II,  which  occupies  the  crest  of  the  arch  in  the 
yoke,  and  following  the  normal  order  of  features  as  they  occur  in  the 
less  highly  conventionalized  reptilian  sculptures — as  seen  for  example 
in  the  upper  figure  of  PI.  LI — we  would  have  as  the  most  essential 
idea  the  mouth,  represented  by  the  teeth,  and  apparently  also  by  a 
depression  at  the  right,  possibly  the  corner  of  the  mouth,  inclosed  by 
curved  forms  of  peculiar  character,  suggesting  the  beak  of  a  bird.  At 
the  left,  however,  we  fail  to  find  this  depression,  so  that  if  it  really 
represents  the  rAouth,  we  must  conclude  either  that  a  profile  view  is 
intended,  or  that  the  normal  symmetric  arrangement  of  features  has 
given  way  to  the  necessity  for  crowding.  Above  the  mouth  we 
naturally  look  for  the  nostrils  but  find  only  a  single  and  very  pro- 
nounced depression;  this  may  be  intended  to  represent  the  nasal 
opening  as  it  would  appear  in  the  skull,  where  it  is  practically  a  single 
opening;  thus  it  happens  we  have  an  additional  hint  that  the  death 
symbol  might  have  been  intended.  At  the  right  and  left  of  the  rounded 
pit  are  rather  obscure  graded  depressions  which  probably  stand  for  the 
ej^es,  or  for  hollows  beneath  them,  while  the  relieved,  somewhat  oval 
forms  overhanging  these,  would  be  the  lids  or  the  staring  eyes 
themselves.  Between  these  features,  and  extending  from  what  I 
take  for  the  nasal  ridge  to  the  upper  border  of  the  design,  are  minor 
markings  that  probably  represent  crest  plumes,  often  seen  in  reptilian 
representations. 

Beneath  the  row  of  teeth  is  a  group  of  devices  consisting  of 
three  infolding  or  intertwined  parts  that  appear  to  represent  the  tying 
or  interlacing  of  two  forms — apparently  reptilian  bodies — that  issue 
to  the  right  and  left  and  coil  upward  enfolding  the  head.  The  division 
of  these  coils  into  a  narrow  and  a  broader  band  and  the  occurrence  of 
various  appended  features  at  the  right  and  left  and  above,  probably 
representing  plumes  and  possibly  also  rattles,  would  tend  to  confirm 
the  idea  that  the  serpent  was  intended,  but  the  markings  of  the  body 
suggest  the  conventional  treatment  of  the  body  of  the  frog  rather 
than  of  the  serpent;  it  is  not  impossible,  therefore,  that  the  frog  and 
serpent  motives  are  combined.  At  the  upper  end  of  the  design,  as 
placed  in  Fig.  112,  there  is  an  addition  to  unit  I — a  body  coil  with 
appendages — that  serves  apparently  merely  to  fill  out  the  space. 

A  study  of  the  conventional  treatment  of  the  serpent  in  the  onyx 
tablet  design,  Fig.  108,  will  prove  instructive  in  this  connection. 
The  body  curves  of  the  serpents  in  the  head-dress  of  the  engraved 
figure  show  analogies  with  the  supposed  serpent  bodies  in  the  closed 
yoke  design,  and  the  abbreviated  and  compounded  serpent  device, 
crossing  the  chest  of  the  onyx  tablet  figure,  resembles  the  yoke 
design  in  several  particulars. 


Feb.   1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — HoliMes.  315 

Having  at  hand  but  a  small  number  of  these  yokes  and  possess- 
ing few  other  examples  of  the  symbolic  and  decorative  art  of  the 
culture  province  represented  by  them,  the  task  of  tracing  the  conven- 
tional elements  is  difficult  and  unsatisfactory;  I  shall  therefore  for  the 
present  content  myself  with  presenting  two  or  three  additional  yokes, 
in  the  sculptures  of  which  interesting  and  suggestive  analogies  appear. 

A  handsome  yoke  described  and  illustrated  by  Strebel  in  his 
Alt-Afexico*  is  of  interest  in  this  connection  and  a  face  view  of  the 
specimen,   copied  from  his  PI.  XV,  is  given  in  Fig.  113.      A  portion 


Fig.   113.     I-RONT  OR  i-ACE  View  of  Stone  Yoke  Copied  from  Strebel. 

The  head  of  the  bird,  facing  downward,  occurs  on  the  outer  surface  of  the  arms,  the  five  crest 
plumes  only  appearing  on  the  face.    Found  in  the  state  of  Vera  Cruz. 

of  the  sculptured  design,  worked  together  from  the  three  views  of 
the  specimen  given  in  his  work,  appears  in  Fig.  114.  As  seen 
in  the  latter  illustration  the  figure  of  a  bird — an  eagle  or  possibly 
a  buzzard — occupies  the  lower  part  of  each  arm.  The  head  is  on 
the  outer  surface  of  the  arch,  and  the  five  plumes  of  the  crown 
appear  on  the  face.  The  dotted  line  in  Fig.  114  separates  the  parts 
belonging  to  the  outer  surface  from  those  of  the  face.  A  second  and 
smaller  head  occupies  the  crown  of  the  arch,  and  is  seen  in  the  same 
figure.      I  wish  to  call  attention  first  to  the  manner  in  which  the  birds' 

*  Hamburg,  1885. 


3i6         Field  Columbian  Museum — Axthropologv,   Vol.  i. 


Fig.  114.     Design    from   the   Strebel 

Yoke  Projected  on  a  Plain 

Surface. 

The  birds'  heads  occur  the  larger  at  the  base, 

and  the  smaller  at  the  crown 

of  the  arch. 


Fig.  115.     Devices  OF  THE  Closed  Yoke 

Simplified  to    Show   Analogies 

With    Designs    on    the 

Strebel  Yoke. 


heads  grade  off  into  formal  scroll  patterns,  and  to  the  fact  that  a  very 
little  additional  conventionality  of  treatment  would  reduce  them  to 
purely  formal,  though  necessarily  eccentric,  scrollwork;  and,  second, 


Feb.    1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  317 

that  these  bird  motives  as  well  as  their  attendant  scroll  devices  display 
striking  analogies  with  the  highly  conventionalized  figures  of  the 
closed  yoke.  These  analogies  will  be  made  apparent  by  a  compari- 
son of  Fig.  114  with  portions  of  the  closed  yoke  design  given,  in  a 
somewhat  simplified  form,  in  Fig.  115.  The  association  of  the  bird 
motive  with  the  devices  accompanying  the  death  symbol  is  thus 
distinctly  suggested. 

The  various  devices  sculptured  on  the  surfaces  of  these  yokes 
may  thus  be  studied  from  the  point  of  view  of  the  life  forms  embodied, 
or  they  may  be  examined  with  respect  to  the  symbolism  involved. 
On  the  latter  point,  however,  we  can  secure  but  meager  data.  We 
observe  that  the  sculptures  vary  with  the  locality  and  conclude  that 
the  symbolism  varied  with  the  communities  or  tribes  concerned,  and, 
possibly  with  successive  periods  of  national  history.  We  see  that 
in  one  case  the  devices  are  simple  and  in  another  complex,  and  sur- 
mise that  the  symbolism  was  varied  and  probably  in  cases  complicated. 
Observing  that  the  frog  occurs  frequently  we  conclude  that  the 
symbolism  may  relate  to  water.  Seeing  that  the  bird  is  sometimes 
embodied  we  surmise  that  there  may  have  been  some  reference  to 
the  air.  The  feathered  serpent  also  appears  and  we  recall  that  this 
favorite  concept  had  to  do  with  both  water  and  air.  These  are  of 
course  mere  suggestions,  but  the  present  state  of  our  knowledge  of 
Mexican  symbolism  and  its  embodiment  in  art  will  not  justify  any 
attempt  at  positive  determinations. 

Turning  attention  to  the  objects  themselves  I  have  sought  hints 
of  symbolism  in  the  shapes,  but  in  nature  find  no  arch  save  in  the  rain- 
bow and  in  the  sky;  and  in  art  only  one  suggestive  parallel  has  caught 
my  eye.  In  the  beautiful  zapote  altar-tablet  found  in  a  temple  at 
Tikal,  Guatemala,  a  human  figure  sits  or  squats  beneath  an  arch 
formed  of  the  body  of  a  two-headed  feathered  serpent;  the  necks  of 
the  monster  are  bent  outward  and  rest  on  the  ground,  and  the 
mouths — curiously  elaborated — extend  to  the  right  and  left.  The 
heads  strongly  suggest  some  of  those  seen  in  the  yokes  and  it  may  be 
that  the  same  or  similar  ideas  are  involved.  Observing  the  presence  of 
water  and  air  symbols  in  these  various  sculptures  I  am  led  to  think 
of  the  arched  forms  as  possibly  symbolizing  the  rainbow,  and  of  the 
whole  group  of  subjects  as  possibly  relating  largely  to  the  rain  god 
Tlaloc  or  some  of  his  analogues. 

Again  these  devices  may  be  examined  from  the  point  of  view  of 
embellishment  merely.  The  symbolic  use  of  life  forms  in  art  leads 
inevitably  to  the  conventional  treatment  of  these  forms,  and  continued 
use  transforms  them  completely.      The  graphic  symbol  stands  at  one 


3i8         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,   Vol.    i. 

end  of  the  line  and  the  purely  geometric  derivatives  at  the  other.  These 
changes  are  brought  about  largely  by  technical  agencies,  but  there  is 
also  from  first  to  last  a  constant  supervision  by  the  aesthetic  forces, 
and  these  gradually  take  possession  of  the  motives  and  their  applica- 
tion to  the  objects  treated.  Symbolism  is  not  necessarily  lost  as  the 
change  from  picture  to  formal  device  takes  place,  but  when  employed 
in  non-symbolic  associations  confusion  of  symbols  necessarily  results 
and  embellishment  has  everything  its  own  way. 

The  examples  of  transformation  of  symbols  furnished  by  these 
yokes  are  especially  interesting.  The  devices  of  the  closed  yoke 
have  passed  almost  completely  beyond  the  limits  of  the  graphic  phase, 
although  they  are  by  no  means  reduced  to  perfect  formality.  Realism 
is  lost,  but  certain  original  characteristics  of  shape  and  arrangement 
are  still  present,  giving  to  the  whole  embellishment  a  striking  individ- 
uality. The  reliefs  are  high  or  low,  the  curves  strong  or  weak,  the 
lines  long  or  short,  involved  or  simple,  according  to  the  parentage  of 
the  element  embodied.  Though  the  symbolism  had  certainly  not 
been  lost  sight  of,  the  aesthetic  forces  were  in  almost  complete  control 
of  the  forms  of  expression. 

In  the  Strebel  Yoke  the  birds'  heads  are  distinctly  recognizable, 
yet  a  very  little  additional  modification  would  make  identification  by 
the  inexpert  eye  quite  out  of  the  question.  The  foot  associated  with 
one  of  the  heads  is  still  decidedly  graphic  but  the  bodies  cannot  be 
traced  and  the  spaces  naturally  taken  by  them  are  occupied  b}^  deriva- 
tive scroll  work  of  striking  and  original  character.  This  example 
shows  that  transformations  of  motives  do  not  take  place  uniformly, 
and  this  mobility  is  an  interesting  feature  of  the  progress  of  conven- 
tional modification. 

A  fine  yoke  preserved  in  the  National  Museum  at  Washington 
is  sculptured  to  represent  a  reptile — probably  a  frog.  The  body  is 
treated  with  a  considerable  degree  of  realism,  but  the  head  is  elabo- 
rated in  an  extraordinary  manner,  and  is  more  that  of  a  serpent  or 
alligator  than  that  of  a  frog.  The  head-crest  consists  of  five  plumes 
which  extend  up  over  the  face  of  the  yoke  as  in  the  Strebel  speci- 
men, thus  again  definitely  associating  the  reptilian  and  the  avian 
concepts.  Similar  monsters  are  common  elsewhere  and  especially 
in  the  sculptures  of  Copan  and  Quirigua,  although  in  the  south  the 
bird  element  is  less  prominent  or  is  associated  in  different  ways. 

In  a  3'oke  belonging  to  a  private  collection  in  the  City  of  Mexico, 
the  form  of  the  frog  is  developed  in  a  simple  manner  almost  dupli- 
cating the  specimen  shown  in  PI.  LI,  but  the  body  of  the  creature  is 
entirely  covered  with  beautiful  tracery.      This  tracery  is  evidently  an 


Feb.    1897.  Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  319 

elaboration  of  the  scroll-like  motives  employed  in  the  closed  yoke, 
and  in  a  more  decidedly  conventionalized  form  in  the  bird  yoke 
figured  by  Strebel.  This  specimen  displays  two  wholly  unique 
features  ;  it  is  observed,  first,  that  the  tracery,  treated  in  a  highly  deco- 
rative manner,  is  carried  over  the  entire  inner  surface  of  the  yoke; 
and,  second,  that  the  end  of  each  arm  of  the  yoke  is  occupied  by  a 
neatly  sculptured  human  head  in  low  relief;  these  heads  are  framed 
in  by  the  tracery  volutes,  which  probably  represent  the  mouth  of 
some  mythical  creature,  since  in  several  other  cases  human  visages 
similarly  placed  are  seen  to  be  issuing  from  the  mouths  of  reptiles 
somewhat  realistically  treated. 

Considering  the  number  of  these  objects  and  their  importance  as 
works  of  art  it  is  certainly  remarkable  that  nothing  is  known  of  their 
use,  and  that  they  do  not  appear  to  be  represented  in  any  of  the 
ancient  manuscripts  or  in  any  of  the  thousands  of  subjects  engraved 
or  sculptured  on  stone  or  painted  on  or  modeled  in  clay.  That  they 
were  sacred  and  symbolic  and  had  some  important  ofifice  to  fill  in 
gaming  or  devination,  in  rites  or  ceremonies,  requires  no  proof  beyond 
that  furnished  by  our  knowledge  of  the  culture  of  the  people  to  whom 
they  belonged.  Numerous  definite  uses  have  been  assigned  to  them 
but  I  can  see  no  sufficient  reason  for  adopting  any  one  of  these  rather 
than  another,  and  it  is  quite  probable  that  the  real  use  has  not  yet 
been  guessed,  save  perhaps  in  the  most  general  way. 

The  idea  that  these  yokes  were  used  in  human  sacrifice  as  an  aid 
in  restraining  the  victim  while  his  heart  was  torn  out  by  the  officiat- 
ing priest  has  been  pretty  generally  adopted — a  result  due  no  doubt 
to  the  collar-like  shape  of  the  objects,  combined  with  the  fact  that  they 
occur  in  the  general  region  in  which  human  sacrifice  was  so  exten- 
sively practiced.  But  there  is  really  nothing  in  the  shape  to  suggest 
such  use.  They  could  not  be  adjusted  conveniently  to  any  part  of 
the  human  frame — either  the  neck,  the  body,  or  the  limbs,  and  might 
prove  a  decided  disadvantage  in  the  work  of  restraining  the  unfor- 
tunate victim.  Brinton  suggests*  that  they  may  have  served  the 
sport-loving  natives  in  the  playing  of  some  game  of  ball.  Ernst,  and, 
I  believe,  Strebel,  favor  the  theory  that  they  were  memorial  tokens  of 
some  great  individual  achievement  worn  on  certain  ceremonial 
occasions  as  symbols  of  dignity  or  power. 

The  strange  stone  collars  found  on  the  island  of  Porto  Rico  are 
the  only  relics  of  the  ancient  time  that  seem  to  bear  any  close  analogy 
with  these  Mexican  specimens,  and  their  use  is  equally  a  matter  of 
speculation. f 

*  Science,  March  lo,  1S93. 

t  Mason,  O.  T.  "  The  Guesde  Collection."    Report  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  1SS4. 


320         Field  Columbian   Museum — Anthropology,   Vol.    i. 

A  study  of  the  manner  of  use,  as  indicated  by  the  shape,  con- 
tributes little  toward  solving  the  riddle  of  these  yokes.  Strebel 
argues  correctly  that  their  normal  position  is  a  horizontal  one.  Few 
of  them  are  shaped  to  stand  on  end  without  extraneous  support  and  in 
some  cases  the  ends  of  the  arms  are  covered  with  relief  sculptures  in 
continuation  of  the  designs  of  the  face  and  sides.  That  the  horizontal 
position  was  the  normal  one  is  shown  more  forcibly  still  b}'  the  posi- 
tion of  the  animal  forms  embodied:  these  are  so  placed  that  one  face 
may  with  safety  be  regarded  as  the  upper  face  and  the  other  the 
under  face;  the  former  is  covered  usually  with  sculptures  and  the 
latter  has  that  portion  of  the  surface  which  would  rest  upon  a  flat 
support  quite  plain.  It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  the  under  side 
is  narrower  than  the  upper  side — as  shown  in  the  profiles,  Fig.  ii6 — a 


a.  i 

Fig.  116.     Sections  of  the  Yokes  Shown  in  Fig.  ill  and  in  Pl.  LII. 

One  fourth  actual  size. 

a.  Section  of  Yoke  illustrated  in  Fig.  iii. 

b.  Section  of  Yoke  illustrated  in  PI.  LI. 

specialization  of  shape  common  to  all  forms  and  all  localities  and 
certainly  not  without  special  significance. 

Although  these  yokes  seem  to  stand  alone  as  the  product  of  a 
particular  region,  and  presumably  of  a  single  people  or  ethnic  group^ 
the  designs  associated  with  them  are  not  so  restricted.  The  latter 
belong  to  a  school  of  aboriginal  mythologic  art,  localized  somewhat 
definitely  in  the  eastern  central  districts  of  the  great  Mexican 
plateau,  but  grades  off  into  various  neighboring  schools.  The 
work  does  not  seem  to  afihliate  so  closely,  however,  with  the  sculp- 
tures of  the  Valley  of  Mexico  as  with  those  of  the  Maya-Quiche 
provinces.  In  its  general  style  it  is  repeated  throughout  Mexico, 
is  echoed  in  the  simple  art  of  our  Southern  States  and  again  on  the 
North-west  Coast  ;  it  also  has  significant  affinities  with  corresponding 
lines  of  work  in  eastern  Asia  and  the  Pacific  islands. 

It  would  seem  that  these  yokes  are  most  numerous  in  the  states 
lying  directly  east  of  the  Valley  of  Mexico,  and  few  have  been  found 
outside  of  the  borders  of  Puebla,  Tlascala  and  Vera  Cruz.  The 
Strebel  specimens,  as  well  as  the  two  owned  by  this  Museum,  are  from 


Feb.   1897. 


Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


321 


this  region.  The  Dorenberg  collection,  brought  together  largely,  I 
believe,  at  the  city  of  Puebla,  contained  half  a  dozen  examples.  It 
has  been  stated  that  one  specimen  was  found  in  Oaxaca  and  another 
in  the  Valley  of  Mexico,  but  I  am  inclined  to  ascribe  them  all,  at  least 
originally,  to  the  one  district. 

CYLINDER  WITH  SERPENTS  IN  RELIEF.  The  disk  or  cylinder 
shown  in  PI.  LIII-(?  is  a  handsome  example  of  its  class,  sculptured 
from  a  reddish-gray,  compact  andesite.  It  is  7  inches  in  height 
and  II  inches  in  diameter.  The  upper  and  lower  surfaces  or  ends 
are  plain  and  not  carefully  dressed,  leading  to  the  inference  that  the 
stone  may  be  the  section  of  a  column  or  of  some  columnar  structure. 
The  periphery  is  encircled  by  two  feathered  serpents  in  low  yet 
boldly  handled  relief,  their  open  jaws  and  protruding  tongues  meet- 
ing on  one  side  (at  the  left  in  the  figure)  and  the  feathered  tips  of 
their  tails  on  the  opposite  side.  The  borders  above  and  below 
imitate  plaited  fillets. 

I  have  had  the  sculptured  periphery  cast  and  projected  on  a 
plain  surface  so  that  the  whole  subject  can  be  seen  at  a  glance,  and' 
that  the  highly  artistic  arrangement  of  the  feathers,  body  and  rattles, 
as  well  as  the  nice  treatment  of  the  relief,  may  be  fully  apparent. 
One  of  the  serpents  reproduced  from  the  plaster  cast  is  shown  in  Fig. 
117.      This   association   of   a    pair   of    serpents    is    a    very   usual    one 


^--    -■..%. 


*0^/» 


{••  4^-/<  ^  *^'^-^  /  •   '  ^  ^  4"  /'4-'f^'^  V  -<  V  /-^ 


Fig.  117.  Feathered  Serpent  in  Relief,  Occupying  the  Periphery  of  a  Cylinder. 
throughout  Mexico,  and  even  far  beyond  its  limits,  and  without  doubt 
had  special  significance  to  the  sculptors  Brinton  has  expressed  the 
opinion  that  the  association  is  calendaric,  relating  possibly  to  the 
union  of  cycles  of  time. 

A  comparison  of  the  manner  of  delineating  the  serpent  in  the 
various  regions  is  interesting;  although  the  differences  are  striking 
and  varied,  the  analogies  are  numerous  and  marked,  suggesting  the 
practical  identity  of    the   feathered   serpent  myth   among  the  whole 


322         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,   Vol.    i. 


jm"^ 


-tgt 


group  of  nations.  Among  the  many  peculiar  features 
of  the  mythic  serpent  concept  is  the  coil  which 
issues  from  the  corner  of  the  mouth  and  rests 
against  the  jaw.  This  is  a  very  constant  feature, 
and  apparently  not  traceable  to  any  definite  original 
in  the  serpent  itself  or  in  any  other  known  creature. 

ANNULAR  STONE  WITH  RELIEFS.      The  stone 

ring  shown  in  PI.  \A\\  b  is  made  of  dark,  somewhat 
scoriaceous  andesitic  lava,  and  is  18^^  inches  in 
diameter  and  10  inches  thick.  The  workmanship 
is  inferior,  the  shape  is  not  symmetric  and  the 
sculpture  is  extremel}-  crude.  The  periphery  is 
encircled  b}'  the  devices  drawn  out  in  Fig.  118; 
these  embody  varied  animal  features  so  poorly 
defined  and  so  mixed  up  that  little  can  be  made  out 
of  them.  Among  the  figures  is  one  of  a  monster 
that  seems  supplied  with  flippers  or  jointed  claws 
resembling  those  of  a  lobster.  The  under  surface, 
as  placed  in  the  plate,  is  plain  and  somewhat  rough, 
while  the  upper  surface  is  occupied  by  a  cosmic 
device,  very  simple  and  crude,  shown  in  Fig.  119. 

STONE  BOX  WITH  RELIEFS.  A  very  well 
shaped  and  handsomely  sculptured  box  is  illustrated 
in  PI.  LI\'.  It  is  made  of  dark,  somewhat  porous, 
basalt,  and  is  14^  by  i5j^2  inches  square  and  \o% 
inches  in  height.  The  walls  are  2  inches  thick  and 
the  rim  is  shaped  to  accommodate  a  lid,  which 
is  missing.  It  is  evident  that  the  box  has  been 
in  recent  use,  probably  as  a  watering  trough,  for  a 
notch  is  broken  out  of  the  rim  on  one  side  as  if  to 
fit  a  supply  spout,  and  a  hole  has  been  drilled  in 
the  base  at  the  opposite  side  apparently  for  drainage. 
The  exterior  surfaces  are  sculptured  with  much  care, 
as  shown  in  the  plate,  the  figures  without  doubt 
being  significant.  The  principal  band  of  devices 
shows  two  square  compartments  on  each  side,  within 
which  are  corner  projections  and  a  central  disk — 
probably  calendaric  devices;  above  is  a  marginal 
band  with  circlets;  below  are  two  plain  bands  and 

Fig    118,     Bas-Relief  from  Periphery  of  the  Annular  Stone 
Shown  in  b,  Pl.  Llll. 


r.\  vf'ji'  ■  as  ,.itiu; 

1    .sil    ni    nv/orig   si    ?Ji'.  '    i.'ji'.slci    ino': 


Pl.  LIH.    a.    Cylindrical  Stone  with  Bas-Reliefs. 


The  upper  and  lower  surfaces  of  this  object  are  plain,  and  the  periphery  is 
occupied  by  two  conventional  feathered  serpents  in  low  relief  placed  face  to  face, 
the  open  mouths  meeting  as  seen  at  the  left.  The  borders  above  and  below  repre- 
sent plaited  bands.  One  of  the  sculptured  serpents  is  shown  in  Fig.  ii6. 
Diameter,  ii  inches. 


Pl.  LIII.    b.  Annular  Stone  with  Bas-Reliefs. 


The  upper  surface  has  radiating  calendaric  devices  dividing  the  circle  into 
four  and  eight  parts,  and  the  under  surface  is  plain.  The  periphery  is  covered 
with  rude  conventional  reliefs  representing  animal  forms  ;  these  are  difficult  of 
identification.  The  sculptured  devices  are  shown  in  Figs.  117  and  118. 
Diameter,  i8>^  inches. 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM 


ANTHROPOLOGY,   PL.    Llll 


'^-'^-f^'-^-^^^^J' 


y^r 


^^^ 


^  ■■-- 


(?.     Cylindrical  Stone  with  Bas-Reliefs. 
b.     Annular  Stone  with   Bas-Reliefs. 


Pl.  LIV.    Stone  Basin  with  Calendaric  Bas-Relief  Sculptures. 


a.  Box  made  of  dark,  basalt-like   rock,  and  handsomely  sculptured.     One- 
fourth  actual  size. 

b.  Figure  of  monster  in  low  relief  on  bottom  of  box  (inside).    Length  9  inches. 
The  four  calendaric  devices  sculptured  on  the  sides  of  the  box  within  are 

shown  in  Fi?.  120. 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,  PL.  LIV. 


Stone  Basin  with  Calendaric  Bas-Relief  Sculptures,      one-fourth    actual  size. 


Feb.   1897. 


Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


323 


a  marginal  space  occupied  by  "egg  and  tongue"  figures,  probably 
originating  in  Mexico  in  the  feathers  of  the  plumed  serpent.  The 
four  walls    within    contain    neatly    sculptured    symbols    of    the  four 


-5^^.. 


W 


.■■■  >        .';%;        'A   ,9i      \         *^   ./ 


Fig.   119.     Device   Occupying  the    Upper   Surface  of  the   Stone   Ring   Shown  in 

Pl,   l\\\-a. 

seasons — the  rabbit,   the  house,   the  flint  and    the  cane   (Fig.    120) — 
while    the   bottom  is    occupied    by    the  figure    of   the  flint-bedecked 


Fig.  120.    Symbols   of  the   Four  Seasons   Sculptured  on  the   Inner   Walls  of 

the  Stone  Box. 

monster  of  the  lower  regions,  shown  in  outline  in  the  plate.  Doubt- 
less the  lid  was  also  handsomely  sculptured  with  devices  symboliz- 
ing the  sun  or  representing  some  mythic  concept.  The  specimen 
was  found  near  the   City  of  Mexico. 

HEAD  OF  DIORITE.  A  choice  bit  of  lapidary  work  is  illustrated 
in  PI.  LV.  It  is  an  ovoid  mass  of  blackish,  speckled  diorite  carved 
to  represent  a  human  head.  The  height  is  8  inches,  the  width  6}^ 
inches  and  the  depth  5^  inches.  The  features  and  embellishments 
are  well  worked  out  and  the  whole  surface  is  highly  polished.  The 
face  is  framed  in  by  the  conical  crown  above,  by  decorated  pendant 
bands  at  the  sides  and  by  the  necklace  beneath  the  chin.  Against  the 
cheeks  are  carved  ear  ornaments  of  the  usual  annular  type.     The  only 


324         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,   Vol.    i. 

features  of  the  visage  having  special  significance  are  the  four  tusk-like 
pendants  issuing  from  the  mouth  and  covering  the  chin.  These  appear 
to  indicate  that  some  rain  god,  possibly  Tlaloc,  is  represented. 

I  observe  with  respect  to  the  manipulation  of  the  surface  that 
different  tools  have  been  used  according  to  the  form  to  be  defined, 
A  tubular  drill,  9- 16  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  was  employed  to  cut  the 
circlets  for  the  ear  ornaments  and  the  beads  of  the  necklace.  The 
straight  lines  are  cut  with  a  directness  and  precision  that  indicate 
the  use  of  some  well  arranged  mechanical  device,  such  as  a  rotary 
saw,  rather  than  a  tool  operated  by  the  unaided  hands.  The 
grooves  and  channels  have  clean-cut  surfaces  and  a  polish  apparently 
not  secured  by  an  after  process,  but  as  the  direct  result  of  the  shap- 
ing operations.  The  finish  of  irregular  lines  and  general  surfaces  is 
the  result  of  mixed  processes,  the  polish  having  been  given  by 
hand.  The  back,  as  indicated  in  the  second  figure,  is  rounded  and 
smooth.  A  shallow  channel  extends  vertically  across  the  middle, 
and  this  is  so  related  to  slight  depressions  above  and  below  as  to 
strongly  suggest  the  idea  that  the  intention  was  to  suspend  the  stone  by 
a  heavy  cord,  the  depressions  being  just  sufificiently  pronounced  to 
allow  the  knottings  of  the  cord  to  take  hold. 

As  to  the  object  or  use  of  this  stone,  little  can  be  said,  save  that 
it  probably  served  as  an  amulet.  It  was  found  in  the  j'ear  1896,  15 
feet  beneath  the  surface  of  the  dry  bed  of  lake  Texcoco  b}'  workmen 
engaged  in  digging  a  drainage  canal  3  miles  long,  50  feet  wide 
and  some  25  feet  deep,  intended  to  drain  lake  Chalco  into  lake 
Texcoco. 

FEATHERED  SERPENT  IN  GREENSTONE.  By  far  the  most  valu- 
able specimen  of  early  Mexican  sculpture  so  far  acquired  by  the 
Museum  is  a  feathered  serpent,  with  associated  motives,  executed  in 
dark  green,  mottled  diorite.  The  mass  of  stone  maj^  be  described 
as  irregularly  ovoid,  and  was  probably  originally  a  bowlder  closely 
approximating  the  present  general"  contour.  The  height  is  g}( 
inches,  the  depth  from  front  to  rear  9  inches,  and  the  greatest  thick- 
ness from  side  to  side  6j^  inches.  The  entire  surface,  except  the 
flattish  rough-dressed  base,  is  covered  with  carvings,  the  motives 
being  the  serpent  in  two  phases — one  supplementing  the  other — two 
human  figures,  and  three  independent  devices  probably  symbolic  or 
otherwise  significant.  These  features  are  shown  as  completely  as 
possible  in  the  accompanying  photographic  views,  PI.  LVI  ;  a  front 
view  is  given  in  a,  and  exhibits  the  open  mouth  of  the  serpent  from 
which  looks  out  a  well-sculptured  human  face  of  mild  and  dignified 
mien,  the  physiognomy  being  that  of   a  woman   rather  than  that  of 


Feb.    1897.          Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes. 


325 


a  man.  The  reptilian  features  may  be  a  little  difficult  to  trace  in  the 
illustration,  as  they  extend  partially  around  the  rounded  margins  of 
the  stone.  We  may  observe  first  the  two  curved  lines  representing  the 
upper  lip.  These  are  arched  over  the  human  face,  pass  down  the 
sides  and  curve  outward  terminating  in  coils  at  the  corners  of  the 
mouth,  while  beneath  these  is  the  remarkable  array  of  fangs  forming, 
in  appearance,  a  sort  of  crown  to  the  human  face.  The  lower  lip  or 
jaw  is  represented  by  three  ridges  over  which  hangs  the  forked 
tongue  of  the  serpent  terminating  in  two  wide  coils  which  reach  to  the 
lower  margin  of  the  stone.  Two  tusk-like  fangs  rise  from  the  lower 
jaw  at  the  sides  of  the  tongue  and  rest  against  the  cheeks  of  the 
human  visage.  Above,  connecting  with  the  lip  lines,  is  the  muzzle, 
with  depressions  for  the  nostrils  at  the  sides  ;  while  below  these  at 
the  right  and  left  are  the  eyes,  over  which  extend  the  broad  coiled 
brows  partially  lost  to  sight  around  the  margins  of  the  stone. 


Fig.   121.     Feathered  Serpent  Carved  in  Relief  on  the  Upper  and  Back  Surfaces 
OF  THE  Specimen  Illustrated  in  Pl.  LVI. 

The  rattle  and  appended  feathers  are  restored  from  suggestions  of  the  partially  preserved 
outline. 

A  second  serpent  head  in  profile  is  carved  on  the  upper  surface 
of  the  stone,  the  forked  tongue  hanging  down  over  the  right  nostril 
of  the  front  face.  The  features  of  this  profile  head  are  much  the 
same  as  those  of  the  other  example  ;  the  jaw  curves,  the  fangs,  the  eye 
with  its  brow  coil,  and  the  nostril  are  present,  and  in  addition  a  crown- 
like plume  rises  from  the  front  of  the  head.  Connecting  with  the 
head  are  the  gracefully  sculptured  feathers  and  the  sinuous  ventral 
lines  of  the  body  ;  these  pass  back  over  the  narrow  upper  margin  of 
the  stone  and  down  the  back  terminating  below  in  the  rattle,  now 
unfortunately  nearly  all  broken  away.  This  serpent  figure  is  shown  in 
outline  in  Fie:.  121. 


326         Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,   Vol.    i. 

Very  striking  features  of  this  sculpture  are  two  human  figures 
occupying  the  sides  of  the  stone,  as  shown  in  b,  PI.  LVI.  These 
figures  are  nearly  or  quite  nude,  and  sit  cross-legged  with  face  in 
profile.  Each  is  engaged  in  perforating  an  ear  with  a  bone  awl,  and 
tears,  in  expression  of  pain,  hang  pendant  on  the  cheek.  One  of  the 
figures  represents  a  woman,  and  the  other,  judging  by  the  physiog- 
nomy, is  that  of  a  man. 

There  remain  to  be  described  only  three  small  devices  in  relief. 
One  is  placed  in  front  of  and  a  little  above  the  head  of  the  figure 
illustrated  in  c,  and  consists  of  a  circlet  below  joined  to  two  coils 
above,  suggesting  a  usual  smoke  symbol.  The  two  other  devices  are 
almost  exactly  alike,  and  are  placed  one  in  front  of  each  sitting  figure 
as  indicated  in  b.  Each  consists  of  a  conical  elevation  divided  into 
three  segments  by  cross  grooves,  and  two  smaller  conical  forms — 
each  divided  by  a  single  cross  groove — extending  in  banner-like 
fashion  from  the  vertical  ridge  as  a  staff. 

The  significance  of  this  striking  and  handsome  piece  of  sculp- 
ture is  a  subject  for  conjecture,  though  the  principal  motive  embodied 
is  one  common  to  the  native  races  of  a  large  part  of  Mexico  and 
Central  America.  The  feathered  serpent  with  the  head  or  face  of  a 
human  being  appearing  from  the  open  mouth,  is  a  familiar  figure  in 
the  sculpture,  painting  and  plastic  art  of  the  whole  region. 

CARVED  SHELLS.  Two  examples  of  the  highly  artistic  carved 
shell  work  of  the  ancient  Mexicans  are  presented  in  PI.  LVII.  This 
beautiful  material  was  much  prized  by  all  the  native  tribes  and  was 
worked  up  into  a  great  variety  of  personal  ornaments,  among  which  the 
gorget  or  breast-plate  was  the  most  striking  form.  The  specimens  illus- 
trated are  of  a  pale  reddish  hue,  somewhat  whitened  on  the  surface  by 
weathering,  and  were  probably  derived  from  some  variety  of  conch 
shells.  Both  are  perforated  for  suspension  or  attachment.  The 
upper  piece  is  drilled  from  the  back,  the  hole  opening  out  in  the 
upper  margin,  and  the  lower  specimen  is  pierced  for  attachment 
rather  than  for  direct  suspension,  as  indicated  in  the  illustration. 
Both  are  well  carved  to  represent  winged  human  beings.  The  bodies 
are  much  abbreviated,  and  the  faces  are  too  large  for  good  propor- 
tion. The  arm  and  hand  of  the  upper  specimen  are  small  and  the 
legs  are  merely  rounded  projections.  The  wings  are  artistically 
treated;  the  two  parts  or  lobes  do  not  quite  correspond  and  it  is  pos- 
sible that  they  represent  a  compound  wing  like  that  of  the  butterfly 
rather  than  the  wings  of  a  bird.  The  head  in  the  lower  specimen  is 
crowned  by  a  large  and  quite  elaborate  head-dress  of  plumes,  ties 
and  tassels.  The  body  and  limbs  are  but  slightly  indicated,  and  a 
single  wing  extends  back  from  the  shoulders. 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM 


ANTHROPOLOGY,  PL.  LVI. 


Feathered  Serpent  and  Other  Subjects,  Sculptured  in  Greenstone,     one- 
fourth   ACTUAL  SIZE. 


FIELD    COLUMBIAN    MUSEUM. 


ANTHROPOLOGY,    PL.   LVI 


Carved  Shells  Representing  Winged  Human  Beings,    actual  size. 


Feb.    1897.         Ancient  Cities  of  Mexico — Holmes.  327 

The  origin  of  these  objects  is  unknown.  It  was  stated  by  a  for- 
mer owner  that  they  came  from  southern  Mexico,  but  this  is  doubt- 
ful. The  style  of  treatment  is  new  to  me.  The  embodiment  of  the 
butterfly  in  various  forms  of  art  was  common  at  San  Juan  Teotihua- 
can  and  it  is  not  unlikely  that  the  specimens  belong  in  the  Valley  of 
Mexico. 

Though  evidently  gorgets  or  breastplates,  these  specimens 
belong  to  a  distinct  class  from  the  engraved  gorgets  found  occasionally 
in  Mexico,  and  distributed  widely  over  our  southern  states.  A 
specimen  of  the  latter  class,  from  Michoacan, belonging  to  the  Abadiano 
collection,  now  pieserved  in  the  Walker  Museum  at  the  Chicago 
University,  is  of  special  interest  because  of  its  apparent  close  relation- 
ship with  the  gorgets  of  Missouri  and  Tennessee.*  The  analogies  are 
especially  noteworthy  because  of  the  great  distance  that  separates 
the  two  regions,  and  because  of  the  apparent  absence  of  any  corre- 
sponding forms  of  art  in  the  vast  districts  that  intervene.  That  the 
Ancient  Tennesseeans  used  the  discoid  gorgets  with  engraved  human 
figures  and  in  large  numbers  is  made  apparent  by  the  frequency  with 
which  they  are  found.  In  Michoacan  only  the  one  specimen  has 
been  reported,  but  the  manner  of  delineating  the  human  figure 
employed  is  typically  Mexican,  and,  since  the  natives  of  the  entire  coun- 
try wore  similar  discoid  plates,  plain  or  engraved  with  appropriate 
designs,  there  is  no  reason  for  regarding  the  Michoacan  specimen  as 
intrusive.  The  human  figures  used  in  these  cases  were  doubtless  of 
mythological  origin  and,  associated  with  the  wheel-like  ornament, 
probably  had  some  calendaric  significance  or  use.  Associated  with 
a  form  of  ornament  common  to  all  sections  of  North  America  and 
based  on  myths  and  usages  common  to  many  peoples,  the  use  of 
these  particular  devices  may  readily  have  spread  from  the  place  of 
their  origin  to  many  distant  regions,  the  forms  meanwhile  undergoing 
but  slight  change.  Adopting  this  idea  we  would  be  relieved  of  the 
necessity  of  assuming  long  distance  transfer  of  objects  or  the  extended 
migration  of  peoples,  although  such  exchanges  and  migrations  would 
not  be  without  precedent. 

I  began  this  brief  review  of  the  sculptures  of  the  Mexican  Pla- 
teau without  intending  to  enter  into  a  discussion  of  the  symbolism 
embodied,  and  I  close  with  a  well-defined  impression  that  such  a 
discussion  must  necessarily  prove,  in  the  present  state  of  our  knowl- 
edge,  wholly  unsatisfactory. 

If  we  were  dealing  with  works  certainly  of  Aztec  origin  we  could, 
perhaps^  reasonably  expect  to  make  some  definite  correlations  of  the 

*  Starr,  Frederick.    Proceedings  of  the  Davenport  Academy,  Vol.  VI.  p.  17. 


328  Field  Columbian  Museum — Anthropology,   Vol.  i. 

objects  with  the  myths  they  illustrate,  and  even  some  of  the  individ- 
ual deities  represented  might  be  named,  for  there  exists  a  great  body 
of  literature  bearing  more  or  less  directly  upon  the  general  subject. 
Few  works  are,  however,  definitely  known  to  be  Aztec,  though  num- 
erous specimens  found  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  Tenochtitlan  are 
generally  regarded  as  belonging  to  that  people.  There  are  few  if 
any  sculptures  that  can  be  correlated  with  the  descriptions  and  allu- 
sions of  those  who  wrote  of  the  days  of  the  conquest  and  saw  or  knew 
of  the  objects  as  they  Avere  originally  displayed  or  used.  I  doubt  if 
there  is  a  single  specimen  of  ancient  Mexican  mythological  sculpture 
in  any  of  the  museums  of  the  world  that  can  be  given  a  particular 
native  designation  with  perfect  assurance  that  its  application  may  not 
some  day  be  challenged. 

Notwithstanding  this  lack  of  definite  correlation  of  the  sculptures 
with  their  original  names  and  symbolism,  there  is  yet  a  vast  deal 
that  may  be  learned  or  inferred  from  a  study  of  these  Plateau  remains. 
There  are  recognizable  several  schools  of  sculpture  representing  many 
nations  whose  mythologies  must  have  embodied  closely  analogous 
groups  of  conceptions;  prominent  among  these  conceptions  are  the 
personified  forces  and  elements  of  the  natural  world,  constituting  a 
numerous  and  varied  pantheon  of  rulers  of  earth,  air  and  sky,  whose 
sculptured  forms  may  often  be  recognized  in  a  general  way  by  the 
more  or  less  graphic  symbols  associated  with  them. 


Field    Columbian    Museum. 
Anthropological  Series.  Volume   i, 


ARCHEOLOGICAL   STUDIES 


AMONG    THE    ANCIENT 


CITIES    OF    MEXICO 


BY 


William    H.   Holmes. 
Curator,    Department  of  Anthropology. 


PART    I,    MONUMENTS   OF    YUCATAN. 

PART    II,     MONUMENTS    OF    CHIAPAS,    OAXACA   AND 
THE    VALLEY    OF    MEXICO. 


Chicago,  U.  S.  A. 


INDEX. 

PAGE. 

Adobes,   Group  of  the,  Mitla ...  231,  232,  235,  273 

Esthetic  development  of  Nahuatl  and  other  peoples  compared 303 

Akab-tzib,   Chichen-Itza 105,  114,  115 

Alban,  Monte 216-226 

"         Lesser 211-216 

Altar,  Mugeres  island 41,     42 

"      pieces,  Palencjue 166 

Arch,   Chichen-Itza 112,  113,  117,  1 18,  123,  125,  129 

"        Corumel  island 67 

"        Maya 48-52 

"        Monte  Alban 222 

"        Palenque 160,  174,  176,  192,  193,  194  ,200,  201,  204 

"        Uxmal 83,  84,     94 

Armour,  Allison  V 7,  9,  11,  12,  150,  306 

Architect,  Yucatec 23 

Arroyo,  group  of  the,  Mitla 231,  235,  272 

Atlanteun  figures,  Yucatan , 26, 47,  135 

Atlantis,  story  of 17,    20 

Ax,  iron,  Mitla 228 

Aztec  remains 298,  299 

"       sculpture  301 

Balustrades,  Chichen-Itza 122,  124 

"  Palenque 169,  187 

Bencrorft,  H.  H 15,  88,  152,  224,  230 

Bandeliefr,  A.  F 15,  229 

Basejnejit  galleries,  quadrangle  of 267 

Bas-relief  sculptures 321,  322 

"        '•  "  Chichen-Itza 26,47,104,127 

"        "  "  Palenque 177 

Batres,  Leopoldo 293 

Bird,  yoke  sculpture 315,  316,  318 

Box,  stone 322 

Bridge,  Palenque 205 

Brine,  Lindesay 152 

Brinton,  D.  G 19,  319,  321 

Building  materials,  Mitla 229,  231,  232 

"  •'  Palenque 155,  158 

"  "  Yucatan 25 

Buildings,  function  of,  Palenque 180 

"  "  "    Yucatan 22 

Calcareous  deposits,  Palenque 1955  208 

Cancun  island 9,    63 

Caracol,  Chichen-Itza 105,  11 5-1 20 

Carmen,  village  of 10,  11,  151,  153 

Caryatid-atlantean  figures,  Chichen-Itza 134 

Catasaja  lagoon 10 

Catherwood 86,    96 

Catholic  establishment,  group  of  the 231,  235,  255,  257 

Cedral  village,  Cozumel  island 66 

Ceilings,  Yucatan 38 

Cement,  Mitla 232,  274 

Cenotes , 18,  loi,  102,  105,  136 

331 


332 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Chac-Mool,  Yucatan 26 

Charnay 15,  86,  88,  98,  106,  121,  126,  152,  167,  17S,  192,  229,  291,  292 

Chiapas,  ruins  of 1 5 1-209 

Chichanchob,  Chichen-Itza 105,  120 

Chichen-Itza,  ruins  of 10,  101-137 

Chiquito  river 10 

Citadel  group 297 

Climate  and  roof  construction 162 

Coatzacoalcos,  village  of 12 

Color,  use  of,  Chichen-Itza 104,  1 14 

"       Palenque 167 

"       Mitla 252 

Columns,  Chichen-Itza 122,  123,  127,  130,  132,  134 

"         Cozumel  Island 66 

"         El  Meco 71-  73 

"  Mitla 239,  259,  260,  261,  262,  268 

"  Palenque 163 

"  Uxmal 83 

"  Yucatan 45 

"  quadrangle  of  the,  Chichen-Itza 135 

"  Mitla 259-267 

"         group  of  the,  Mitla 231,  235,  243,  257-272 

"  hall  of  the,  Mitla 259-262 

"         temple  of  the,  Chichen-Itza 133,  134 

Cones,  temple  of  the,  Chichen-Itza 133 

Construction,  Chichen-Itza 103,  108,  1 11,  112,  117,  118,  123 

"  El  Meco 7i-73>  130 

"  Mitla 237-243,  261,  268 

"  Monte  Alban 220,  226 

"  Palenque 157,  160,  174,  175,  182,  192,  193,  194,  201 

"  Uxmal 82,  87,     91 

Contoy  island 9,     57 

Copper,  objects  of 287 

Cord  holders,  Palenque 177,  200 

"  "         Yucatan 38,     40 

Corridors,  Palenque 174 

Cozumel  island,  ruins  of 9, 64-  .69 

Cylinder  of  stone 321 

Decoration,  mural,  Chichen-Itza 104,  no,  113,  114,  i  ig,  128,  130,  132 

"  "         Izamal 98 

"  "         Maya 52 

"  "        Mexican  plateau 317,  318 

'*  "         Mitla 229,  245-257 

"  "        Palenque 165,  167,  176,  196 

"  "        Uxmal 82,  83,  88,  92,     94 

"  "        Yucatan 52-55 

Defensive  motive,  Uxmal 87 

"  "         Yucatan 22 

Del  Rio 152 

Dias,  Don  Carlos 11 

Dolores  village 9,     57 

Doorways,  Chichen-Itza 124, 132-134 

"  Mitla 237,  240-242,  261,  262 

"  Palenque 162,  163,  173,  182,  192,  200 

"  Uxmal 83,  86,    87 

"  Yucatan 40-  44 

Drill  of  bone 305,  307 

Dupaix 152,  190,  220,  225 

Dwellings,  Yucatan 22 

El  Castillo,  Chichen-Itza 105,  122-127 

El  Meco,  ruins  of 69-  74 


INDEX. 


333 


PAGE. 

Engraving  on  stone,  Valley  of  Mexico 305,  306 

Ernst,  Dr.  A 319 

Exploration,  progress  of 15 

Fagades,  Chichen-Itza 1C4,  112,  114,  121,  130 

"        Mitla 246,  259 

"         Palenque 177,  195 

"         Uxmal 87,  88,  92,  93,    95 

Farrington,  O.  C r56,  308 

Floors,  Mitla 271,  274 

"        Monte  Alban 213,  226 

•'         Palenque 158 

"         Yucatan 28,     39 

Fortified  Hill,  Mitla 230,  275-279 

Frog,  sculptured  in  stone 309-319 

Gaumer,  George  F 10 

Geographical  distribution  of  ruins 17 

Geological  formations  of  Yucatan 17,  18,  loi 

Grecques,  quadrangle  of  the 262-267 

Ground  plans,  Chichen-Itza 102,  107,  109,  117,  125 

"  "         Mitla 235,  236,  237,  268 

"  "         Monte  Alban 226 

"  "         Palenque 160,  171,  172 

"  "        San  Juan  Teotihuacan 291 

"  '*         Uxmal 83,87,     90 

"  "        of  temples,  Palenque 159 

"  "        "        "  Yucatan 34-  36 

"  "         "    towers,  Chichen-Itza 117 

"  "         "     Palenque 160 

Gymnasium,  Chichen-Itza 105,  127-133 

"  Uxmal 82,    90 

"  Yucatan 22 

Hahn,  Herman 11 

Hammerstones,  Mitla 285-287 

Hieroglyphs,  Chichen-Itza 114,  115,  121 

"  Uxmal 96 

"  Palenque 177, 188,  191 

Iglesia,  Chichen-Itza 106,  112 

Implements,  stone,  copper,  Yucatan 25 

"  for  cutting  stone,  Chichen-Itza 104 

"  "         "  "        Maya 29 

"  "        "  "        Mitla 251,284 

"  "        Palenque 168 

Implements  of  flaked  stone,  Mitla 285-287 

Indians,  hostile 9 

Instruments  of  precision,  Yucatan 24 

Ituna,  yacht,  voyage  of 9-  12 

Izamal,  ruins  of 10,  97,  100 

Jackson,  W.  H 292 

Kingsborough 223 

Knife  of  iron,  M  itla 228 

Las  Playas,  village II 

Le  Plongeon,  Dr.  A 15,  74,  86,  104,  149 

Lime,  Yucatan 30,  155 

"      Chiapas 155 


334  INDEX. 

PAGE. 

Lintel,  Stone,  Chichen-Itza '  '"*'  ^3^ 

"            "        Cozumel  island oo 

"            "         Mitla 240,241,261,268,  271 

"            "         Palenque ■  •  '57 

wood,  Chichen-Itza 103,123,  126,  132 

"              "       Mugeres  island 42,  62 

"              "       Palenque i57.  161,  163,  174,  178,  I93 

"              "       Yucatan 42,  44 

Maler,  Teobert '49 

Map  of  Chichen-Itza '3o 

Mitla 231 

"        Monte  Alban 226 

Palenque 1 53,  208 

Uxmal 90 

Maps,  sources  of '" 

Marquand,  Allan 9 

Mason,  O.  T 3I9 

Masonry.  Chichen-Itza 1^3-  m,  119,  123 

"     '    Mitla 233,  261 

"  Monte  Alban 226 

"  Palenque '55-  ^70,  i7S,  180 

Yucatan 27,  28,     30 

Matthews,  E.  O 299 

Maya  architecture 20-130 

"      arts 21 

"      books 20 

"       calendar 21 

"      culture,  grade  of 20 

"  "         origin  of 20 

"      race ^9 

Mayapan,  ruins  of ^20 

Measurements  of  ruins ^^ 

Mercer,  H.  C ^49 

Merida,  city  of 1°'    «° 

Mexican  government  exploration ^5 

Mexico,  city  of ^3 

Michel,   Rio ^5^ 

Millspaugh,  Dr.  C.  F v 

Mitla,  ruins  of 12,  227-279 

"       village  of 227 

Miztecs 210 

Monte  Alban 12,  21 1-226 

Morlet 152 

Mosaics,  Mitla •  •  •  • 240,  241,  245-251 

Mounds  at  Progreso 79 

Mounds 211,213 

Mugeres  island,  ruins  of -9.  57    ^3 

Mural  Tablet  building,  Palenque • 170 

Maudslay,  A.  P : '5,  Mg,  'S^,  167,177,  192 

Mortar,  Cozumel ^5° 

"        Chichen-Itza I03 

Palenque 155-156 

«        Uxmal ^50 

"        Yucatan 25-  30 

Mortuary  relics,  Palenque 207,  208 

National  Museum,  sculptured  yoke  in 3^8 

Nevin,  Wm 211 

Northers ■      ^- 

Nunnery,  Chichen-Itza o" '  V  "'o^""* 

»         Uxmal 81,  82,  86-  QO 


INDEX. 


335 


PAGE. 

Oaxaca,  state  and  city  of 12 

"       ruins  of 210-279 

Onyx  tablet,  Valley  of  Mexico 304-309 

Orientation,  Chichen-Itza * 112 

Mitla 231 

"  Monte  Alban 226 

"  Palenque 154,187 

"  and  assemblage  of  buildings,  Yucatan 24 

Orizba,  mountain 12 

Ornament  (see  decoration). 

Otolum,  Rio II,  151 

Painted  designs,  Chichen-Itza 128,  132 

"  "  Mitla 245,  252-256,  273 

"  "  Palenque 168 

"  "  Teotihuacan 293 

"  "  Yucatan 29 

Palace  Chichen-Itza 105-114,  115 

"        Governor's,  Uxmal 81,  82,    90 

"        Palenque 11,  153,  154,  169-186 

Palenque,  ruins  of 10,  151-209 

Palisada,  village  of 11 

Panoramic  view,  Chichen-Itza 105,  138 

"  "       Mitla 230 

"  "       Monte  Alban 213,  216,  219,  226 

"  "       Palenque 153,  169 

"  "       Teotihuacan 294 

"  "       Uxmal 81,    96 

"  Views 15,     16 

Pathway  of  the  Dead 290 

Peabody  Museum  report 149 

Perez,  Don  Jose  10 

Pigeons,  house  of,  Uxmal 81,  82,     95 

Pillars,  Palenque 163,  173 

Plaster,  Mitla 232,  233,  251 

"        Monte  Alban 226 

"         Palenque 167 

Porto  Rico,  stone  yokes  from 319 

Pottery,  Mitla 288 

"         Mugeres  Island 62 

"        Progreso 79 

"        Teotihuacan 293 

Progreso,  city  of 10,     79 

Puebla  city  of 12 

Pyramids,  El  Meco 70-  74 

"  Cancun  island 63 

"  Chichen-Itza 103,  106-116,  122,  136 

"  Cozumel  island ' 65-  69 

"  Izamal 97,     98 

"  Mitla 234,  268,  274,  275 

"  Monte  Alban 213,  218,  220 

"  Mugeres  island 60 

"  Palenque 157,  158,  169,  187,  188,  192,  199 

"  Teotihuacan , 294 

"  Uxmal : 82,  84,  85,    96 

"  Yucatan 33 

Quadrangular  arrangement  of  buildings,  Mitla 236 

"  "  "  Monte  Alban 217,  226,  229 

"  "  Uxmal 83,86,94,    96 

Quarries  not  found  at  Palencjue 155 

Quarrying  of  stone,  Mitla 232,  279-285 


336  INDEX. 

PAGE. 

Rau,  Charles 152 

Rings  of  Stone,  Chichen-Itza 127,  322 

Roadways,  Chichen-Itza 102 

"  Teotihuacan 296 

"  Yucatan 24 

Roof  crests,  Chichen-Itza 121 

"  "      Mitla 23S,  239,  244,  265-268 

"  "      Palenque 162,  167,  196,  202 

"      Uxmal 95 

"  "      Yucatan 39 

"       decoration,  Palenque 39,  167,  175 

"  "  Yucatan 39,  41,  95,  121 

Roofs,  Chichen-Itza 103,  in,  115 

"        Mitla 244,  261,  265 

"        Palenque 160-162,  195,  196,  202 

"        Uxmal 83 

"        Yucatan 38 

Sanctuaries,  Chichen-Itza 126,  134 

"  Palenque 165,  188,  194,  195,  201 

San  Juan   Teotihuacan 13,  289-298 

San  Miguel  village 9,    64 

Santo  Domingo  del  Palenque 151 

Sculpture,  Chichen-Itza 104,  113,  114,   127,128,  134 

"  comparative  progress  in 302,  303 

"  implements  used  in 29,30,  104,  168,  251,  279,  284,  302,  306,  309,  324 

"  materials  "      Nahuatl 301 

"  Maya 26,  53,  302,  303 

"  Mitla 245 

"  Monte  Alban 220,  223 

"  Northwest  Coast  tribes 302 

"  Nahuatl 301-328 

"  Palenque 163,  164 

"  processes,  Nahuatl 302 

"  religious  inspiration  of 303 

"  subjects  embodied  in,  Nahuatl 301 

"  Teotihuacan 293,  296 

"  Y  ucatan 26,     29 

Seler,  Dr.  Eduard 149,  243 

Serpent  embodied  in  yokes 313 

"         Chichen-Itza 116,  122,   124,   127,   129,  130,  132,  133,  134 

"        Monte  Alban 220 

"        Uxmal 87 

"        Valley  of  Mexico 306,  321,  325 

"         Yucatan 47 

Shell  ornaments 326 

South  Side   group 234,  235,  274 

Stairways,  Chichen-Itza 109,   in,   116,  118,  122,  128,  129 

'•  El  Meco 71-73 

"  Mava 32 

"  Mitla 235 

"  Monte  Alban 217 

"  Palenque 158,  168,  177,   179,  181,   182,  186,  189 

"  Teotihuacan 295 

"  Uxmal 83,  84,    87 

"  Yucatan 32 

Starr,  Frederick 327 

Stephens,  J.  1 15,  75,  81,  90,  96,  98,  106,  115,  120,  121,  126,  127,  152,  158,  167,  192 

Stone  cutting,  Chichen-Itza 29,  104 

"  "         Mitla 232,  233,  279-285 

"  "         Uxmal   82 

"  "        Yucatan 25,    26 


INDEX.  337 

PAGE. 

Stone  implements,  flaked,  Mitla 285-287 

«'  "  used  in  sculpture  (see  sculpture). 

Strebel,  voke  described  by 3^5 

Stucco  work,  Chichen-Itza ■    ^°^ 

»       Izamal 98-100 

"      Maya •■••-•• 27-29 

"       Palenque 166,  167,  176,  187,  190,  195-198 

"  "       Yucatan 27-29 

Substructures  (see  also  pyramids). 

Mitla 234.  268 

Monte  Alban 217-226 

"  Mugeres  Island ^o 

Palenque 1 57-  170 

"  Teotihuacan •  •   291 

Uxmal 81-96 

Yucatan ^°"  ^8 

Subterranean  drainage ^ - 

"  waterway 203-200 

Symbolism,  Mexican 3i7)  3i« 

"  Yucatec 5'- 

Terraces,  Chichen-Itza ^._.  -^91 


"  Monte  Alban 213,  218,  221 

"  Palenque 155,  158 

"  Uxmal 87,    90  ■ 

Tikal,  altar  sculpture 317 

Tikul,  village  of 10 

Thompson,  Edward  H 9,  12,  80,  86,  96,  loi,  121,  127,  207,  281 

Tombs,  Monte  Alban 222 

"        Palenque 206 

"        Yucatan 22 

Towers,  Palenque 159,  179-186 

"         Yucatan 26 

Tuloom,  ruins  of 9i  75»     78 

Tumbala  mountains 11,  151 

Turtles,  house  of 81,  82,    99 

Tables,  temple  of  the,  Chichen-Itza 133 

Tablet  of  the  Cross 202 

"       of  the  Sun 203 

"       at  Tikal 317 

Tablets,  Palenque 166,  178,  188,  202,  203 

Temple  of  the  Beau  Relief 154,  188  -191 

"        of  the  Cerro 154,  202,  203 

"       of  the  Cross 154,  199  -202 

"        of  the  Inscriptions 154,  186 

"        of  the  Magician 84-  86 

"        of  the  Sun 154,  192-198 

Tem.ples,  Chichen-Itza ' 126,  128,  133 

"         Cozumel  Island 65-  69 

"  El  Meco 70-  73 

"  Mugeres  Island 59 

"  Palenque 159 

"         Yucatan 22 

Tenocht  itlan 298 

Teotihuacan,  San  Juan 289-298 

Unit  of  measurement,  Yucatan 24 

Usumacinta  river 10,  153 

Uxmal,  ruins  of 10,  80-  96 

Vera  Cruz 12 


338  INDEX. 

PAGE. 

Vestibules,  Chichen-Itza 130-132,  I34 

"  Palenque I93j  201 

Village  sites,  Monte  Alban 215 

"         "      Progreso 7^ 

Waldeck - 152,  190,  192 

Walker  Museum 327 

Wall  nic  he,  Mitla 242 

Wall  openings,  Palenque 176 

"            "          Yucatan 45 

Waterway,  subterranean,  Palenque 203 

Weaving,  Mitla 228 

Williams,  Norman 9 

Windows  of  Tower,  Palenque 180 

Wood,  use  of,  Chichen-Itza,  Maya 25 

"            "       Mitla 232,  238,  239,  244,  261,  265 

"            "       Mugeres  island 62 

"           "      Palenque I57 

"            "      Uxnial 83 

Yokes,  function  of,  unknown 319 

"       origin   of  . . .  .^-,j - ;  _ ; Z^P 

.„.  "  .   ^el  village'     •••'••••'••••'•  '-~^....  ...^v^-l>=;-.-......  ..^v  l-:>\-.9,    64 

Santo  D—'P^'^''^^  stone -  ^-r^^,_  .  ^  -  ■•-•-•-•^•^.., . .        ;  ^^ 

Yucatan - /-*  J/ 

"       aboriginal  history  of '9 

"        conquest  of '9 

"        geologic  history  of '7 

"        settlement  of ^^ 

Zapotecs 210,  228 


5^<?'S>^"^' 


